EuroBasket Warm-up: Giannis scores 25+10 in debut to lead Greece past Latvia, Sengun’s 25 points hand Lithuania their first loss

On August 21st, the EuroBasket warm-up matches carried on. Greece beat Latvia 104-86, with Giannis putting up 25 points and 10 boards in his first summer appearance. Turkey scraped past Lithuania 84-81, as Sengun tallied 25 points and 5 rebounds. Sweden fell just short against Estonia, 87-88.

Greece 104-86 Latvia

In the opening game of the Acropolis Tournament held ahead of EuroBasket, Giannis delivered an impressive summer debut, recording 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists to help Greece secure a 104-86 victory over Latvia.

This was Greece’s best showing in their training camp games, with Giannis’ presence being the key to their strong performance. The “Greek Freak” especially shone in the first half, scoring 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting in just 10 minutes and 20 seconds, helping his team head to the locker room with a 61-45 lead.

In the third quarter, Ioannis Larentzakis knocked down all three of his three-point attempts, finishing with 14 points. Greece as a team shot 14-for-26 from beyond the arc throughout the game.

Latvia improved after halftime but could never catch up to Greece. Rihards Lomazs led Latvia with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Arturs Kurucs added 12 points. Kristaps Porzingis managed only 7 points in 17 minutes, missing all four of his three-point attempts.

Kostas Sloukas dished out a team-high 10 assists for Greece and also chipped in 8 points.

Turkey 84-81 Lithuania

In a game held in Vilnius, Alperen Sengun scored 25 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, leading Turkey to an 84-81 win over Lithuania. This marked Lithuania’s first defeat during their EuroBasket training camp.

Lithuania managed to come back from a 59-66 deficit early in the fourth quarter to take an 81-76 lead late in the game. The contest remained tight throughout, but Turkey secured the win with some clutch plays down the stretch.

Rokas Jokubaitis paced Lithuania with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Cedi Osman contributed 13 points to Turkey’s victory, while Deividas Sirvydis scored 13 points and handed out 6 assists.