Greece has secured its place in the men’s Olympic basketball tournament.
Greece knocked off Croatia 80-69 in the men’s Olympic qualifying home tournament in Piraeus to seal a spot in Paris.
NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo (23/8/3s) was, as expected, the first man of the winners.
Greece’s surprise card in the group final was the 217-centimeter Fenerbahce center Georgios Papagiannis, who bagged threes with an accurate hand (5/8) and collected 19 points. Also a playmaker Nick Calathes (14/5/11s) played a big role on Sunday.
Greece led by 13 points before the final period, 66-53. It lost only three possessions in the match, ten for Croatia.
The main responsibility for the point factory in Croatia was borne by Ivica Zubac (19/12), Mario Hezonja (15/3/3s), Dario Saric (14/12/4s) and and feasted on threes Mateo Dreznjak (15)
At the Paris Olympics, Greece advances to the initial group, where Australia, Canada and Spain will play.