Giannis Leads Greece to Win vs. New Zealand to Advance in 2019 FIBA World Cup
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a team-high 24 points Thursday to lead Greece to a 103-97 victory over New Zealand to clinch a berth in the second round of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA MVP as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, came out firing on all cylinders with two emphatic dunks and a three for seven points in the game's first three minutes. He added 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals in the Group F finale at the Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park in China.
Ioannis Papapetrou (16 points), Nick Calathes (14), Georgios Printezis (13) and Thanasis Antetokounmpo (10) also reached double figures in scoring for the Greeks.
Corey Webster shone once again for New Zealand with 31 points, four assists and three rebounds. Thomas Abercrombie chipped in 18 points and six boards.
Antetokounmpo took just seven shots from the field in Greece's 79-78 loss to Brazil on Tuesday. Afterward, Brazil head coach Aleksandar Petrovic generated plenty of headlines by saying he was more concerned about Kostas Sloukas and Georgios Printezis than the Greek Freak.
"When I was preparing this game, a lot of people talked and joked about how to stop Antetokounmpo. I had for six months in my head, since the semifinals between Toronto and Milwaukee, how to stop Antetokounmpo," Petrovic told reporters. "The problem tonight for us was Sloukas and Printezis."
The three-time NBA All-Star looked far more like his dominant self Thursday.
Meanwhile, Webster likely earned himself another look from teams in the NBA and throughout Europe with his strong play for New Zealand. He spent the 2015 preseason with the New Orleans Pelicans but didn't make the team's final roster.
He entered the contest third in the tournament at 22 points per game, and he continued to show wide-ranging offensive ability Thursday, highlighted by hitting seven three-pointers.
New Zealand drops to the classification round after its elimination from championship contention.
Antetokounmpo and the Greeks will join Brazil, the Czech Republic and the United States in Group K for the second round. Next up is a clash with the Americans on Saturday.
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