Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Greece eliminates Spain from EuroBasket

Sep 4, 2025 11:15 PM

There will be no repeat champion at FIBA EuroBasket 2025. Greece ended Spain’s reign by taking down the four-time winners in a thrilling 90-86 battle, bouncing back from their previous loss to finish first in Group C with a 4-1 record.

The victory not only sent Greece through to the knockout stage with confidence, but also eliminated Spain from the tournament – the first time the Spaniards failed to advance past the group stage since 1977.

Spain, who entered the day still in contention, fell to 2-3 in group play, while Georgia also benefited from Greece’s win by clinching their own ticket to Riga thanks to their head-to-head victory over Spain.

The game itself carried all the drama expected from two basketball powerhouses. Tyler Dorsey set the tone early, knocking down shots in a blistering 14-0 run that put Greece up 30-14, fueled by remarkable three-point shooting.

By halftime, Greece led 50-36 and looked firmly in control. Spain, however, refused to bow out quietly. They clawed back, tying the contest at 71-71 before briefly seizing an 84-82 lead late in the fourth quarter.

That’s when Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had been relatively quiet in the first quarter with only 2 points, showed his superstar pedigree. He scored two critical baskets to put Greece back ahead, and when Juancho Hernangomez missed three free throws in the closing seconds, Greece sealed the victory.

Antetokounmpo finished with a near triple-double – 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists – earning TCL Player of the Game honors. Tyler Dorsey chipped in 22 points, including six triples, while Kostas Sloukas added 12 points and 6 assists.

Spain had balanced scoring from Jaime Pradilla (14 points), Mario Saint-Supery (13 points), and Santi Aldama (12 points, 6 rebounds), but it wasn’t enough.

Greece shot a blistering 53 percent from the field and 48 percent from deep. Spain’s downfall came at the free-throw line, where they hit just 21 of 37 attempts (57 percent).

Afterward, Greece’s head coach Vasileios Spanoulis praised his squad’s performance: “It was an incredible game for my team, especially the first half. It was one of the best games that Greece ever played. The first half was amazing – offensively, defensively, the way we moved the ball, shooting, defense, rebounding. It was unbelievable. We played so good in the first half and then we slowed too much. But this is the game we wanted to play because we will face this game in the continuation of the tournament.”

Tyler Dorsey emphasized the importance of securing first place: “That is history and we have a lot of young guys and I don’t think they were thinking about history, just securing first place. It was a tough game. We did well. I’m happy for the guys, happy for us. We have more work to do. We’ve been working all summer for these kinds of games so this was a good mental test for us to find the rhythm.”

Dinos Mitoglou also expressed joy but stressed perspective: “This win gives us confidence for the continuation and we are very happy. It’s been so many years (since beating Spain), we are happy about it but it’s just a win. We need to relax because the more important games are coming.”

On the other side, Spain’s coach Sergio Scariolo accepted the result with pride in his team’s effort: “Nobody dreams of losing his last game, I would have loved to have won it. But I can’t be prouder of the effort from my players. It’s unbelievable how they came back … the effort, the competitiveness, the energy they put into the game was unbelievable. The future is bright. Somebody else will be at the helm of this team but I recommended to my players to stay together and keep loving the shirt.”

Veteran Willy Hernangomez echoed the sentiment: “This is not the way we wanted to end this tournament – for us, for Sergio. But I am super proud of all my teammates and the coaching staff. We need to take this as a learning experience. Our future is bright. We have really talented young players. It’s a work in progress. We still have a lot of things to do to improve.”

The result was historic: Spain, once dominant over Greece in recent decades with seven wins in their last eight meetings, including major knockout duels in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2015, fell at the earliest hurdle. Greece, meanwhile, will march on to Riga at the top of their group, brimming with belief and with Giannis at the helm.