By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Giannis Antetokounmpo put on a show right from the start as he pushed Greece to an 83-63 win over Italy at the Acropolis Cup.
Antetokounmpo logged 18 points and eight rebounds in a bit over 19 minutes of play while Georgios Printezis added 12 in addition to Nick Calathes’ and Giannoulis Larentzakis’ 11 points each. Ioannis Bourousis grabbed game-high 17 rebounds along with eight points.
Marco Belinelli had an off shooting night (0-8 triples) but still scored 13 points for Italy followed by Daniel Hackett’s 12 points and eight rebounds. Paul Biligha also grabbed eight boards in addition to his 11 points. Danilo Gallinari and Gigi Datome have traveled to Athens, but they are not fit yet to play.
Greece’s Kostas Sloukas spent less than two minutes on the floor before having to exit due to what seemed as a calf strain. While there’s no official update on his condition yet, there’s optimism in Greece’s camp.
“The first indications are positive and the injury doesn’t seem to be anything big”, said coach Thanasis Skourtopoulos after the end of the game about the injured guard. However, Sloukas is expected to miss the rest of the Acropolis tournament and the big prep game against Serbia.