EuroBasket prep match: Greece secures win against Montenegro

The Greek national team only found their rhythm in the 4th quarter, but that proved enough to defeat Montenegro 69-61 at the PAOK Sports Arena in their 4th friendly preparation match for EuroBasket 2025, which kicks off on August 27, CE Report quotes ANA-MPA.

Once again this summer, the team did not have their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo available (he will make his first appearance in the Acropolis Tournament). Greece had even fallen behind by nine points (38-47 in the 3rd quarter) and by the 30th minute had hit just 3 of 28 three-pointers! The team finished the game with a dismal 5/34 from beyond the arc (14.7%). Montenegro ended the match with 6/20 three-pointers.

However, the pride and determination of Vassilis Spanoulis’ players emerged in the 4th quarter, when the “blue and white” outscored their opponents 24-10. Defensively, the Greek players were consistently solid, limiting Montenegro to 61 points.

Dinos Mitoglou stood out for Greece with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Tyler Dorsey added 13 points, Kostas Antetokounmpo contributed 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while Giannoulis Larentzakis recorded 10 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. Panagiotis Kalaitzakis also did an excellent job on defense.

Nikola Vučević finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds for Montenegro, while Igor Drobnjak and Marko Simonović added 11 points each (Simonović also had 6 rebounds). Montenegro will participate in Group B of EuroBasket 2025 in Tampere, facing Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Lithuania, and Sweden.

For the friendly against Montenegro, Greece was without Vassilis Toliopoulos and Vangelis Zougris, who are following recovery programs and are expected to rejoin the team after returning to Athens, as well as Omiros Netzopoulos.

Quarter Scores: 15-19, 32-25, 45-51, 69-61

The Greek starting five were Sloukas, Kalaitzakis, Papanikolaou, Samontourov, and Mitoglou, with the last two recording a block each in the 1st quarter. Greece scored six points from Mitoglou, and the scoreboard read 10-8 before Thanasis and Kostas Antetokounmpo replaced Samontourov and Mitoglou, while Dorsey and Papanikolaou had entered the court slightly earlier.

With 0/6 from three, Greece saw Montenegro take the lead 12-18 and 13-19, as Kyle Allman made 2/3 from deep for the Montenegrins. Dorsey’s layup reduced the gap to 15-19 at the end of the first quarter, with Greece shooting 0/8 from three but 6/7 from two. Montenegro also struggled with two-point shots, hitting just 3/10.

In the 2nd quarter, Kostas Antetokounmpo scored Greece’s first two baskets, and Thanasis gave the team a 21-19 lead. Giannoulis Larentzakis added two more points to start a 9-0 run (23-19). Vučević responded with four points, leading Montenegro on a 7-0 run (23-26). Samontourov and Papanikolaou hit back-to-back threes (29-26), and Mitoglou extended the lead to 31-26. Greece made mistakes while the two national coaches experimented with lineups, and the team went into halftime trailing by three (32-35) after a turnover from Mitoglou allowed Kyle Allman to steal, win the foul, and convert free throws. Igor Drobnjak’s three-pointer had briefly given Montenegro the lead (31-32). After a successful free throw from Sloukas, Vučević scored three consecutive points following an unsportsmanlike foul on Mitoglou. Greece had made just 2/21 three-pointers by halftime compared to Montenegro’s 3/8.

Greece closed the gap to one point at 36-37 thanks to a four-point run from Tyler Dorsey in response to Vučević. Spanoulis would have been frustrated as his players continued making mistakes and poor offensive decisions. Montenegro’s Kljajtic, Simonović, and Vučević exploited these errors to push their lead to +9 (38-47). Five consecutive points from Mitoglou allowed Greece to narrow the gap to 43-47. Dord Jovanović scored (43-49), and Larentzakis hit two free throws to make it 45-49, while Drobnjak scored for Montenegro to close the 3rd quarter at 45-51. Greece had hit just 3/28 three-pointers in the first 30 minutes.

In the 4th quarter, a three-pointer from Larentzakis and a two-pointer from Mitoglou brought Greece within one (50-51). Hatzimpeković and Allman kept Montenegro ahead (50-54). Kostas Antetokounmpo and Tyler Dorsey tied the game at 54-54. Greece took the lead after a hustle play by Kostas Antetokounmpo, keeping the ball in bounds to allow Panagiotis Kalaitzakis to score (56-54). The Greek run continued to 59-54 through Antetokounmpo and Kalaitzakis, marking a 14-3 run in the first five minutes of the 4th quarter. The team began functioning offensively as well as defensively, extending their lead to +9 with another three-pointer from Larentzakis (65-56). Kostas Antetokounmpo returned to the court and made 2/2 free throws to extend the lead to double digits (+11, 67-56) and was a key figure in the final minutes until the game ended 69-61.