After a blowout loss to Turkey in the semifinal round, Greece came out with a chip on its shoulder against Finland as it looked to secure third place and a bronze medal.
Greece started hot and led 48-34 at halftime, but a poor second half nearly cost them as they held on for a 92-89 win after being outscored 33-22 in the fourth quarter.
As he has done all tournament, Giannis Antetokounmpo led Greece with 30 points, 17 rebounds and six assists. Oregon alum and former Mavericks guard Tyler Dorsey added 20 points. Greece also held Lauri Markkanen in check, limiting him to 19 points on 6-for-16 shooting.
Throughout the tournament, Antetokounmpo finished second in points per game, averaging 27.3, behind Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic. He also tied for second in rebounds per game at 10.6, trailing Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic.
Although disappointed to have missed out on gold, Antetokounmpo praised his team’s accomplishment. “This is probably the greatest accomplishment I have ever accomplished as an athlete,” Antetokounmpo said. “This is not better than the championship I won with the Bucks. But when you are able to make 12 million Greeks happy, and you are able to inspire the next generation … this is the biggest thing ever.”
Now, with EuroBasket behind him, Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks will look to improve on last season’s fifth seed and first-round playoff exit. Though Milwaukee lost key contributors Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez, the addition of Myles Turner should help space the floor for Antetokounmpo and bolster the team’s defensive identity.
