Dominant Giannis Antetokounmpo carries Greece past Belgium / News - Basketnews.com

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points to lead Greece past Belgium 85-68

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

In the sold-out OAKA arena where more than 19,000 fans have gathered to see the biggest basketball star of their country, Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a dominant performance as Greece (4-2) eased past Belgium (3-3) 85-68 (30-15, 19-18, 15-11, 21-24) in the Second Round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.

Player of the Game EFF 22 Giannis Antetokounmpo Points 26 Accuracy 11-17 Rebounds 7 Assists 1

The Greek Freek scored 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting, grabbed 7 rebounds, and stole 2 balls for a combined 22 PIR. Tyler Dorsey added 22 points on efficient 7-for-11 shooting for 24 PIR.

The initiative belonged to the home team from the very beginning with Greece starting the match with a 9-2 run. Following a Kostas Papanikolaou layup, the lead increased to 19 (28-9), and the favorites never looked back.

Although Belgium tried to mount a comeback several times during the game, all efforts were ultimately denied.

All 12 players on the Greek roster appeared on the court. Interestingly though, only 7 of them scored. Almost half of Greece's points (42) came in the paint.

Greece: Giannis Antetokounmpo 26 (10/14 2PT, 1/3 3PT, 3/9 FT, 7 REB), Tyler Dorsey 22 (4/5 2PT, 3/6 3PT, 5/6 FT, 4 REB), Nick Calathes 12 (4/5 2PT, 5 AST).

Belgium: Retin Obasohan 14 (2/5 2PT, 7/9 FT), Ismael Bako 12 (5/10 2PT, 9 REB), Emmanuel Lecomte 11 (2/5 2PT, 6 REB, 5 AST), Pierre-Antoine Gillet 10 (2/8 3PT, 5 REB).

Giannis Antetokounmpo's performance:

Full game highlights:

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