Lithuania faces Greece in the quarterfinals of the EuroBasket tournament on Tuesday. Lithuanian GM Linas Kleiza admits it will be difficult to keep Greece’s star player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, under control, Arik Barkas of Eurohoops.net writes.
“It’s a very tough matchup,” he said. “You guys (Greek media) have a very good team and a major superstar, one of the best, if not the best, players in the world. So this is a huge challenge for us, and we’re going to try to do our best, play hard, work hard, and see where it goes. But you guys definitely have a great team.”
So what is Lithuania’s plan?
“I don’t know. We’ll see tomorrow. Hope he has a bad game,” Kleiza said. “That’s all you can hope for. We’re going to try our best, but that’s why he’s the MVP. How do you stop that?”
We have more on the EuroBasket tournament:
- Finland will face Georgia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Finnish teenager Miikka Muurinen has made a splash in the tournament, Rafael Barlowe of NBABigBoard.com writes. Though he has only averaged 5.8 points, he’s shooting 10-of-11 inside the arc and bringing energy on both ends, according to Barlowe. Murrinen is being pursued by top colleges such as Arkansas, Duke, and Kentucky and is considered a potential first-rounder in the 2027 draft.
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who recently re-signed with the Bucks after missing last season due to an Achilles injury, is using Eurobasket as a stepping stone to his NBA return, Hoops Hype tweets. “Having this tournament be a ramp-up period as I get back to the NBA is a blessing from God. It’s not often you get a jump start like this,” he said. “I’m blessed to be able to step on the court, find my rhythm, and build.”
- The government of Georgia is rewarding the national team with a bonus due to its success in the tournament, according to Semih Tuna of Eurohoops.net. That bonus amounts to approximately 948 thousand euros, or about $1.114MM U.S. dollars.