Thomas Walkup scored 19 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed 13 points in 21 minutes, leading Greece to a decisive 96-68 victory over Slovenia on Saturday.
This win in the Olympic qualifying tournament semifinals in Piraeus, Greece, brings Greece within one victory of securing a spot in the Paris Games, while simultaneously eliminating Luka Doncic and Slovenia from contention.
Greece & Giannis eliminated Slovenia with Luka Doncic from the #FIBAOQT 🇬🇷✊ pic.twitter.com/yis2qyeSIS
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) July 6, 2024
Doncic managed to score 21 points in a game that marked the first meeting between the two NBA superstars while representing their senior national teams.
Vasileios Toliopoulos added 14 points for Greece, which will now face the winner of the Dominican Republic vs. Croatia semifinal on Sunday. The victor of this final will secure a berth in the Paris Olympics.
Giannis Antetokounmpo ELIMINATES Luka Doncic and Slovenia from the Olympics!
Greece get the WIN and ADVANCE 🇬🇷 pic.twitter.com/nH7cnzUhmz
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) July 6, 2024
In addition to the action in Greece, other semifinal games are being held on Saturday at qualifying tournaments in Spain, Latvia, and Puerto Rico, as nations compete for the final four spots in the men’s basketball field for the Paris Games.