For this only big poster of the second day of EuroBasket, we head to Milan for a Group C match, between Greece and Croatia who are in turn entering the competition. On one side, there is Giannis Antetokounmpo and many Euroleague big names, on the other, several confirmed NBAers like Bojan Bogdanovic, Ivica Zubac or Dario Saric. On paper, it’s a very nice poster.
Carried by Bojan Bogdanovic and Mario Hezonja who are aggressive from the start, the Croats start well, forcing a quick time-out from Greece after a few minutes (8-3).
But this impression does not last: the men of Dimitris Itoudis quickly find their bearings after a false start, and finally have no trouble tipping the momentum on their side. Satisfactory at the start, the Croats suddenly fell into a stereotypical one-on-one game.
Arsonist Tyler Dorsey ignites the first half
After its first time-out, Greece sticks a 19-4 to its opponent!
If the “AntetokounBros” Giannis and Thanasis obviously have a lot to do with it (12 points to two), it is above all Tyler Dorsey who carries the Greek attack. The future Dallas player, a size in the Euroleague for a few years, planted 10 points in the only first quarter, at the end of which his team was logically in the lead (24-16).
Thereafter, Greece continued to impose its grip on the game. Thus, despite a brief burst of pride from the Bogdanovic / Hezonja duo (10 points each in the first period), the teammates of the “Greek Freak” activate the steamroller mode: +19 halfway through the second quarter (40- 21), and finally +16 at halftime (46-30).
Tyler Dorsey, still on a very good pace despite a small ankle scare after a poor reception on a shot, continues to show off his great scoring skills, and adds 10 points to his personal counter. At the break, he thus points to 20 points, 7/10 on shots and 4/6 from behind the arc.
Croatia revolts, but Giannis watches over the grain
On returning from the locker room, we feel that there are only two scenarios: either Greece will drive the point home and fly towards a “blowout”, or Croatia will stick their heads above water and perhaps relaunch.
It is the second option that applies: thanks to a very big passage of its two leaders, the naturalized Jaleen Smith and his understudy Krunoslav Simon, Croatia is back. While they were almost 20 points behind in the first period, the Croats manage to come back to a single possession of Greece (62-60)!
Except that opposite, there is Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the superstar of the Bucks does not intend to watch his team lose ground without doing anything. While his troop, collectively, has a shot less well, the double MVP 2019 and 2020 bangs his fist on the table. Clumsy in the perimeter, he approaches the circle and gives Greece some air before attacking the fourth and last quarter (70-62). Personally, he is approaching the triple-double (20 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists).
The crossover between the two formations continues until “money-time”. Greece again widened an interesting margin, but Croatia, again revived by a sparkling Jaleen Smith and a constant Bojan Bogdanovic in his efforts, returned to -2 just before the last minute (84-82).
But again, the boss of the Bucks protects his own: a decisive counter on a 3-point shot from Jaleen Smith, then a dunk and a basket with the fault to secure the victory for good (89-85). Despite some slumps, Greece showed more consistency throughout the match, and deserved their victory. With 27 points each, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tyler Dorsey have assumed their status as pillars of this team.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
