By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
It wasn’t only Belinelli’s tremendous’ firepower that did the deed vs Ukraine. After the match vs Israel, the “Azzurri” once again played exceptional defense for the majority of the match, to beat their opponents 78 – 66.
The Star: Marco Belinelli left the floor after putting 26 points (8/18 from the field, 4/5 free throws), nearly 1/4 of Italy’s overall output. Safe to say that Gregg Popovich’s presence in the arena was inspiring for the Atlanta Hawks player.
Artem Pustovii played less than 18 minutes but managed to post 21 points with exceptional shooting (7/8 field goals, 7/7 free throws). Yet he had few bits of help from his teammates, save perhaps for Vyacheslav Kravtsov (11 points).
The Co-Protagonists: Pietro Aradori was also locked from downtown, scoring 13 points with 3/4 3-pointers. Italy captain Gigi Datome added 12 as many as Ariel Filloy (4/5 3-pointers).
Perimeter wasn’t friendly for both: Exterior shooting was the key aspect of the match. While Italy made 17/31 from beyond the arc, Ukraine finished with a mere 3/14.
(Photo credit: FIBA.basketball)