Buddy Hield and the Bahamas are one step closer to the Paris Olympics. Luka Doncic and Slovenia now face an uphill battle to get there.
Hield scored 24 points, Valdez Edgecombe Jr. added 20 and the Bahamas beat Finland 96-85 on Tuesday in the first game of the Olympic qualifiers in Valencia, Spain.
“We grind. I got a win today,” Hield said. “Stay together, find out. The game of basketball is a game of races. In the first half, we didn’t understand it well.”
The tournaments in Spain and Greece were two of four that started on Tuesday determine the last four points at the men’s basketball camp for the Paris Olympics. Other tournaments will be held in Latvia and Puerto Rico, both also starting on Tuesday. Group games at all four venues continue through Thursday, with semi-final games on Saturday and four games with Olympic places up for grabs on Sunday.
The Bahamas closed the game with a 44-21 run over the final 17 minutes, erasing what was a 12-point second-half deficit.
But for Slovenia there was no recovery. In Piraeus, Greece, Croatia led by 29 points and won 108-92. Doncic had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for Slovenia, while Croatia got its own triple-double – 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists – from Dario Saric, along with 21 points from Goran Filipovic and 18 points in 19 minutes of game. Ivica Zubac.
Croatia can qualify for the semi-finals on Wednesday with a win over New Zealand. Slovenia must beat New Zealand on Thursday to have any chance of keeping their Olympic hopes alive.
“Croatia played very well,” said Doncic. “They outplayed us. … I have to play a lot better than that and we have to play with a lot more energy.
Doncic was dealing with injuries during the NBA Finals when Dallas lost to Boston, and he was also clearly in labor pains on Tuesday. But he insisted he would continue.
“It’s an honor for me to play for my country,” Doncic said. “Often there will be injuries. But I see it as a great honor for me to play for my country. We are 2 million people and representing my country means everything to me.”
Deandre Ayton scored 19 and Eric Gordon added 16 for the Bahamas, who can advance to the knockout stages by beating Poland on Wednesday. It’s an interesting mix for the Bahamas; three starters are NBA players, but the starting point guard is Lourawls Nairn – former Michigan State player and now associate head coach at Bowling Green.
“He’s a coach’s dream and I think the players love playing with him,” Bahamas coach Chris DeMarco said. “He definitely belongs and could make a living doing this, but he pursued a different career path.”
Mikael Jantunen and Edon Maxhuni scored 20 each for Finland, who face Poland on Thursday.
In Valencia, hosts Spain were 17 points behind Santi Aldama, 15 behind Usman Garuba and 14 behind Jaime Pradilla. Spain can secure a place in the semi-finals with a victory over Angola on Wednesday.
Youssef Khayat scored 20 for Lebanon, which faces Angola on Thursday.
In Riga, Latvia, Brazil trailed for most of the game, but defeated Montenegro 29-16 in the fourth quarter to stage a comeback.
Bruno Caboclo had 25 points and nine rebounds for Brazil, while Marcelinho Huertas added 17 points.
Nikola Vucevic led Montenegro with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Montenegro must beat Cameroon on Wednesday to keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive. Brazil faces Cameroon on Thursday.
In Riga, hosts Latvia defeated Georgia 28-11 in the second quarter to take complete control and cruise to an early victory.
Arturs Strautins scored 18 points on 5-of-5 shooting to lead a balanced Latvian attack, while Mareks Mejeris scored 11 (also shooting 5-of-5) and Rolands Smits finished with 10.
Sandro Mamukelashvili led Georgia with 14 points.
Latvia can secure a place in the semi-finals by beating the Philippines on Wednesday. Georgia and the Philippines play on Thursday to conclude the group stage.
In Piraeus, Jean Montero scored 17 points, and the Dominican Republic took advantage of a 14-0 run between the end of the second and the beginning of the third to pull away.
Chris Duarte scored 14 points, Victor Liz had 12 and Angel Nunez finished with 11 for the Dominican Republic.
Ahmed Metwaly led Egypt with 24 points.
The Dominican Republic can secure a place in the semi-finals if they beat Greece on Wednesday. Egypt face Greece on Thursday and need to win to have any hope of advancing to the semi-finals.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, Danilo Gallinari and Nicolo Melli scored 14 points each and Italy finished with seven players in double figures.
Ahmed Haji scored 12 points to lead Bahrain, who gave up the game’s final 19 points.
Bahrain must beat Puerto Rico on Wednesday to have a chance of reaching the semi-finals. Italy faces Puerto Rico on Thursday.
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