Slovenia continued its unbeaten run by trouncing Ukraine in the round-of-16 of the EuroBasket 2017. Germany, meanwhile, produced an upset of sorts as it narrowly defeated France in what could be the best game of the tournament.
Luka Doncic and Anthony Randolph star for Slovenia
Top NBA draft prospect Luka Doncic played arguably his best game in the EuroBasket 2017 to lead Slovenia over Ukraine. The former NBA player Anthony Randolph top-scored for the Slovenia National Team, pouring in 21 points and grabbing three rebounds to help his adopted nation book a Quarterfinal spot, and a chance to advance to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
With captain Goran Dragic struggling, Doncic provided Slovenia the spark it needed, scoring 10 points in the first quarter to help Slovenians build a 26-17 first quarter lead. Doncic was in total control and carried the team on his back as the Slovenians started to break the game open in the second quarter.
Anthony Randolph not only starred in the offensive end for the Slovenians. Randolph, who played for six NBA teams, caused a lot of problems for the Ukraine National Team in the interior.
According to Randolph, Slovenia has “great guards” who can score “whenever they want,” allowing him to focus on the defensive end. “Defense is something I focus on,” Randolph said after the game. “Even if my shot isn’t falling, defense is something I can control,” Randolph added.
Goran Dragic of the Miami Heat who averaged a tournament leading 24.4 points during the group phase was held to five points on 2-12 shooting. Doncic finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists for Slovenia.
Slovenia will next face either Latvia or Montenegro. Latvia is led by Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks and Davis Bertans of the San Antonio Spurs while Montenegro will rely on Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic.
The Latvia-Montenegro round-of-16 game will be played at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul on September 10.
Germany upsets France
Germany and France have had a long history of great matches in international competitions. And while their battle in this year’s EuroBasket tournament wasn’t as huge as their battles on the football pitch, Germany and France still gave the fans an instant classic.
France started hot quickly building a nine point at the end of the first quarter. Germany, showing their resiliency that allowed them to finish in second place in Group B, outscored France in the second quarter 24-21 to trail by six points at half-time.
With the momentum on Germany’s side, they again outscored the France in the third quarter 21-16 to trail only by one point entering the fourth quarter. The final quarter was a back and forth affair with both teams refusing to lose. In the end, Germany defeated France, 84-81 to punch its ticket to the EuroBasket Quarterfinals.
Dennis Schroder of the Atlanta Hawks scored 21 points and had eight assists for Germany while Daniel Theis and added 22 points on 8-9 shooting.
Evan Fournier of the Orland Magic led France with 27 points while captain Boris Diaw added 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Germany will play the winner between Spain and Turkey in the Quarterfinals. Spain is led by Pau Gasol of the San Antonio Spurs and Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies while Turkey is bannered by Furkan Aldemir, Furkan Korkmaz, and Cedi Osman. The Spain-Turkey round-of-16 game will be played at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul on September 10.
Finland is playing Italy as of press time with Lithuania going up against Greece in the next game. The rest of the round of 16 matches will be played on September 10. The top 6 teams in the EuroBasket 2017 will qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
