Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 20 points en route to becoming the MVP of the OQT and led Greece to the Paris Olympics for the first time in more than a decade.
After a year of competing without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece can rejoice again - the Greek national team comfortably beat Croatia 80-69 (22-22, 23-17, 21-14, 14-16) in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Piraeus and advanced to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Although the game started evenly, Greece took control of the matchup in the second quarter, building an 8-point lead in the middle of the period (37-29). While Croatia tried battling back in the second half, the closest they got was only five points.
Greece continued building the lead in the third quarter and managed to keep it throughout the remainder of the match, solidifying the status of arguably the most solid team throughout all four OQTs.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
19
|
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | |
| Points | 23 |
| Accuracy | 8-17 |
| Rebounds | 8 |
| Assists | 3 |
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Greece with a game-high 23 points alongside 8 rebounds for 23 EFF. He was named the MVP of the Qualifiers in Greece.
Big man Georgios Papagiannis became an unlikely hero during the game. Big Papa, as he's called sometimes, made four three-pointers in the match, setting his new all-time career high.
Ivica Zubac led Croatia with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds for 23 EFF.
Greece will play in Group A in the Olympics alongside Australia, Canada, and either Spain or the Bahamas, depending on how the game finishes in Valencia, Spain, on Sunday.
This will be the first time Greece will play in the Olympic Games since 2008.
