Giannis Antetokounmpo Leads Greece to the Brink of Olympic Berth

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one victory away from achieving his dream of representing Greece in the Olympics. The Greek national team, led by Antetokounmpo, defeated Slovenia 96-68 in the semifinals of the Olympic qualifying tournament, bringing them one step closer to securing a spot in the Paris Games.

The game was a highly anticipated matchup between two NBA megastars, Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic. However, it was Greece that dominated the game from start to finish, with Antetokounmpo adding 13 points in 21 minutes. Thomas Walkup led the team with 19 points, and Vasileios Toliopoulos added 14 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one step closer to realizing his Olympic dream

Doncic, who played through injuries in the NBA Finals, averaged 31 points in Slovenia’s first two qualifying games. However, he came out flat against Greece’s big front line, finishing with 21 points. Slovenia was put on its heels early, with Greece scoring the game’s first 13 points and taking a 32-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Greece’s advantage grew as high as 23 points in the second quarter before Slovenia used a late flurry to cut it to 47-33 at the half. Greece came out fast again in the third, using a 11-3 run to get some distance, and carried a 16-point edge into the fourth quarter.

“They played way better than us. They were way more aggressive,” Doncic said. “I think they have an amazing team. Obviously, they have Giannis. But other pieces are very important for them too. And they’re very well-coached. … They outplayed us today.”

Greece will meet the winner of the Dominican Republic and Croatia on Sunday in the final of the Greece tournament, with the Paris Olympics berth going to the winner.

Greece celebrates their win over Slovenia

In other Olympic qualifying news, Brazil defeated the Philippines 71-60 to advance to the finals of the Latvia tournament. Bruno Caboclo had 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead Brazil, which will meet the winner of Cameroon and Latvia on Sunday in the finals.

The Bahamas also moved one step closer to making its first Olympics field, defeating Lebanon 89-72. Deandre Ayton had 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Bahamas, which will meet the winner of Finland and Spain in Sunday’s final.

Lithuania eased past Italy 88-64 to advance to the finals of the Puerto Rico tournament. Marius Grigonis scored 23 points, including six 3-pointers, to help Lithuania stay on track to qualify for its first Olympic tournament since 2016.

Lithuania celebrates their win over Italy