An M-16 obviously will never be allowed in basketball but Israel probably wishes it is after they failed to stop Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and bow to Greece in the Round of 16 in EuroBasket 2025.
Israel coach Ariel Beit-Halahmy joked that they will need a gun to stop the Greek Freak in their Round of 16 match up, suggesting the Milwaukee Bucks superstar will just rampage on them. This is the same joke Italy coach had during the first day of the competition.
That’s what happened to Israel on Monday as he led his team to the quarterfinals.
Antetokounmpo scored almost half of his team’s total of 84 points as he posted 37 points and 10 rebounds. It showed how unstoppable he was like Beit-Halahmy expected, going 78 percent from the field.
He was one of the two players who scored double digits for Greece with team captain Kostas Sloukas contributing 12.
Deni Avdija of the Portland Trailblazers led the way for the losing team with 22 points and three rebounds.
“One of the top three players in the world, his game is very strong and unique, and there’s not much you can do,” Beit-Halahmy told reporters when asked about Antetokounmpo’s performance.
He is right. Antetokounmpo remains among the best players in the league and is expected to contend for the MVP in next NBA season, like what he does yearly.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece ready for Lithuania
The victory means Greece already matched their finish from the 2022 edition when they faced and lost to Germany in the quarterfinals.
Greece head coach Vassilis Spanoulis said it is “time to break the curse” and go further as they try to win their first EuroBasket since 2005.
Next obstacle to overcome is Lithuania who beat Latvia in the last round. Spanoulis said he is aware of what they are up against.
“Everybody knows the Lithuanian school of basketball. They are competitive, they have fans with them, they have big bodies, they know how to play and it will be a very tough game.”
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