Tyler Dorsey leads Greece past Italy without Giannis Antetokounmpo

Aug 23, 2025 1:02 PM

Athens got a taste of EuroBasket intensity a week early, as Greece and Italy turned a summer friendly into a nail-biting preview of Group C action.

What was meant to be a warm-up quickly carried the weight of tournament play, with momentum swings, clutch moments, and a finish that came down to the final shot.

Both teams arrived without key figures – Greece missing Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kostas Sloukas, and Dinos Mitoglou, while Italy chose to rest Danilo Gallinari.

Even so, the crowd witnessed a hard-fought contest that ended 76–74 in favor of the hosts.

The turning point came in the third quarter, when Vassilis Spanoulis’ squad stormed back from 10 points down to build a 5-point lead heading into the final stretch.

Italy still had the chance to force overtime, but Marco Spissu’s three-point attempt with 10 seconds left bounced out, leaving Tyler Dorsey to ice the game from the free-throw line.

Balanced contributions fueled Greece’s win. Dorsey led the scoring with 14 points, and veteran Kostas Papanikolaou rediscovered his shooting touch, hitting three triples for 11 points.

Italy, meanwhile, leaned on Simone Fontecchio, who poured in 18 points – 13 of them in the first half.

Saliou Niang earned plaudits with his hustle and efficiency (14 points, 6 rebounds), while Darius Thompson proved disruptive on defense, racking up 6 steals in limited minutes.

Now, the two rivals look ahead to the real stage. Italy concludes its summer tune-up with a 4–2 record and will regroup in Cyprus, where, coincidentally, they open EuroBasket 2025 against Greece on Day 1.

The Greeks still have one final test before departure – a high-profile showdown with France on Sunday in Athens.