Israel came up short against Greece 84-79 in the Eurobasket round-of-16 late Sunday night in Riga, Latvia, and was eliminated from the competition.
After a pair of stunning results, with Serbia and France being knocked out by Finland and Georgia, respectively, Israel hoped that it would add its name to the list of giant slayers, but it was not meant to be.
Giannis Antetokounmpo did as he pleased throughout the contest as Deni Avdija and the blue-and-white couldn’t find their rhythm over the course of the 40 minutes as Ariel Beit Halachmi’s squad headed home with mixed results and emotions.
It was overall a net positive, with the blue-and-white having played in the knockout round for the first time since 2015 and plenty of hope for the future.
Antetokounmpo scored 37 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Kostas Sloukas added 11 points, and Kostas Papnikolau scored 8 points in the win. Avdija scored 23 points, Tomer Ginat added 15 points, and Roman Sorkin scored 14 points in the loss.
Up next for the Israel National Team will be the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers that will get underway in November, when the blue-and-white will play Germany and Croatia, along with Cyprus, as it will look to punch its ticket to the World Championships slated to be played in Doha, Qatar.
Greece got off to a quick start as Antetokounmpo did as he pleased against Itay Segev, while Papanikolau also found points. Ginat and Yam Madar answered for Israel, which ended the first quarter down 28-22.
Sorkin and Antetokounmpo scored for their respective squads, Avdija went from deep, Kostantinos Mitoglu scored at the other end as did Sloukas and Tyler Dorsey to put Greece in front 50-41 at halftime.
Sorkin, Khadeen Carrington, and Avdija all went from downtown. Antetokounmpo scored a trio of baskets, Sloukas put in a 3-point play, and Alexandros Samodurov went from deep to bump up the lead to 67-59 after 30 minutes.
Sloukas, Antetokounmpo, and Samodurov all scored to get the final frame underway. Avdija and Madar countered, but points from Papanikolau, along with a layup and dunk from Antetokounmpo, wrapped up the game for Greece.
“We wanted to keep going for a few days, but we left it all on the court,” Beit Halachmi said. “I have to give credit to everyone for the past couple of months. We will come home proud, and the most important thing was to give the fans at home something to be happy about, which is what we did. As for the game, we didn’t win the battle of the boards, and we played one of the world’s best players. I’m happy with the way we played throughout the entire tournament.”
We all gave everything
Avdija, who was by far Israel’s most dominant player in the tournament, shared his feelings.
“I felt a lot of things. I gave everything I had. We all gave everything. It’s not an easy tournament, and I gave it my all – defense, offense, crazy hours, sleepless nights, flights, preparation, and injuries. But it was fun. I did it for the people of Israel and for the flag. It’s the most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done. That’s it, it was for our people, for Israel.”
The 24-year-old Portland Trail Blazers forward also shared what was special about playing for Israel.
“I learned that it’s the heart that actually plays, not always the talent. We’re not the strongest or the most skilled team, but we have something beautiful. We have the Israeli heart, the fight, the humility.”
Avdija added, “The hard work and the desire to play, that’s something bigger than basketball. Especially in our country, in these moments, it was a privilege. What will be in three or four years? Well, we have a very talented generation growing up and doing great things. It’s fun to see, and I believe we’ll elevate Israeli basketball, and it will become much better.”
After the game, Antetokounmpo came over to console Avdija.
“Giannis gave me some very kind and moving compliments. These are compliments from a player who works very hard and has a great reputation in the league. I won’t go into details about what he said, but it was definitely emotional. Every player has their own qualities. I have a long road ahead and the potential to be much better than I am. I believe that 100%. The comparisons aren’t relevant, we had a good tournament, and I did everything I could.”
Israel's big man, Sorkin, also spoke about the game.
”We couldn’t stop Giannis, and he scored 37 points, but we were fine against the others. I’m proud of everyone here. We were all really close and the situation at home made sure we gave our all. We didn’t want to lose, and we wanted to continue on and give some joy and pride to our country.”