By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The sluggish start created a deficit of 14 points but Spain was the clear winner, 86-64, against the Netherlands playing at Almere’s Topsportcentrum Saturday night.
Unicaja’s Dario Brizuela dropped 13 points pushing the team coached by Sergio Scariolo to 5-1 in Group L of the 2023 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers. Naturalized Lorenzo Brown, a new player for Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at the club level, tallied 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists in just under 16 minutes putting up a strong display in his young career at La Roja.
Three NBA players for Spain, all stepping in the last game before the 2022 EuroBasket. Usman Garuba of the Houston Rockets finished with ten points and six rebounds in 21 minutes. Willy Hernangomez of the New Orleans Pelicans added ten points and four rebounds in 12 minutes. Juancho Hernangomez of the Toronto Raptors recorded five points, four rebounds, and two assists in 21 minutes.
The hosts jumped to a 14-point lead but getting out-muscled produced an unmanageable distance of 25 points. The 39-point swing and the loss at home worsened the W-L tally to 0-6. With four games remaining, the team coached by Maurizio Buscaglia is all but eliminated from the World Cup.
Heroes Den Bosch newcomer Jito Kok scored a game-high 16 points in the latest losing effort. Experienced swingman Worthy de Jong followed with 11 points.
Elsewhere in Group L, Italy edged Georgia and Iceland beat Ukraine in overtime.
In Group K, Lithuania and Hungary logged respective wins. Bosnia-Herzegovina later outlasted France in the second overtime.
The games for both groups will continue in the next FIBA Window in November.
Group K
| GAMES | STREAK | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | Last 5 | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Lithuania |
8 | 7 | 1 | 87.5 |
|
640 | 572 | 68 | 80 | 71.5 | 15 |
| 2 |  France |
8 | 6 | 2 | 75.0 |
|
649 | 499 | 150 | 81.1 | 62.4 | 14 |
| 3 |  Montenegro |
8 | 5 | 3 | 62.5 |
|
625 | 587 | 38 | 78.1 | 73.4 | 13 |
| 4 |  BIH |
8 | 4 | 4 | 50.0 |
|
637 | 664 | -27 | 79.6 | 83 | 12 |
| 5 |  Hungary |
8 | 4 | 4 | 50.0 |
|
559 | 636 | -77 | 69.9 | 79.5 | 12 |
| 6 |  Czech Republic |
8 | 3 | 5 | 37.5 |
|
624 | 660 | -36 | 78 | 82.5 | 11 |
Group L
| GAMES | STREAK | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | Last 5 | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Spain* |
6 | 5 | 1 | 83.3 |
|
503 | 414 | 89 | 83.8 | 69 | 11 |
| 2 |  Italy |
6 | 5 | 1 | 83.3 |
|
555 | 521 | 34 | 92.5 | 86.8 | 11 |
| 3 |  Iceland |
6 | 4 | 2 | 66.7 |
|
488 | 518 | -30 | 81.3 | 86.3 | 10 |
| 4 |  Georgia* |
6 | 3 | 3 | 50.0 |
|
458 | 484 | -26 | 76.3 | 80.7 | 9 |
| 5 |  Ukraine* |
6 | 1 | 5 | 16.7 |
|
489 | 507 | -18 | 81.5 | 84.5 | 7 |
| 6 |  Netherlands |
6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
|
427 | 476 | -49 | 71.2 | 79.3 | 6 |