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    FIBA World Cup Qualifiers: Jusuf Nurkic heroics, Greece stunned as Vassilis Spanoulis frustrated

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    By on FIBA World Cup, News
    Jusuf Nurkic
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    Teams from Groups I and J opened the second and final round of the European FIBA World Cup Qualifiers on Friday, with six games played across the two groups.

    In Group I, Georgia secured a crucial win over Montenegro, while Greece suffered their third consecutive defeat, this time against Ukraine, leaving their World Cup hopes in serious jeopardy. Portugal then closed out the group’s action with a victory over Spain.

    Group J also saw three games played, as Turkey dominated a depleted Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina edged past Italy, while Serbia comfortably defeated Iceland to begin the second round with a win.

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    UPSET OF THE DAY: Ukraine stun Greece as Spanoulis loses patience

    After shock defeats to Romania away from home and Portugal on their own court, Greece suffered another damaging setback in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, losing 82-76 to Ukraine in Latvia.

    Greece are playing this qualifying window without Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek superstar wanted to play, but his return was considered too risky after several months without an official game.

    Greece spent virtually the entire game trailing and once again struggled to find solutions. Vassilis Spanoulis constantly looked to change the course of the game, including with an emphatic timeout, but his team never managed to fully respond as Ukraine held on for a valuable victory.

    Oleksandr Kovliar led the winners with 18 points, while Max Shulga added 14. On the other side, Nick Calathes finished with 17 points and eight assists.

    Spanoulis’ frustration was also evident during the postgame press conference. When a journalist asked Dinos Mitoglou about his individual statistics, the Greece head coach immediately intervened.

    “We don’t care about those points. It’s about the team. This is a bad question. What are you asking? About the points? Who cares about that?” Spanoulis responded.

    The defeat leaves Greece at the bottom of Group I.

    MVP PERFORMANCE: Monster Jusuf Nurkic powers Bosnia and Herzegovina past Italy

    Jusuf Nurkic delivered a monster performance in a hugely important 78-76 victory for Bosnia and Herzegovina over Italy, putting his team back into serious contention for a place at the 2027 FIBA World Cup.

    The NBA big man was dominant throughout the game, repeatedly punishing Italy in the post, attacking the offensive glass and creating problems when facing the basket. Bosnia and Herzegovina led for virtually the entire game, with Nurkic providing a reliable offensive option whenever Italy threatened to change the momentum.

    The visitors finally took their first lead when Nicolo Melli hit a three-pointer for 73-72, but Amar Alibegovic immediately answered from beyond the arc. Nurkic then scored to make it 77-73 inside the final minute. Italy cut the deficit to two through Stefano Tonut, before Nurkic made one of two free throws to put Bosnia and Herzegovina up 78-75.

    The closing seconds were chaotic. Tommaso Baldasso missed a three, but Tonut grabbed the offensive rebound and missed both free throws. Saliou Niang then grabbed another offensive rebound before being fouled, making the first free throw before intentionally trying to miss the second, but committing a lane violation. Bosnia and Herzegovina then made a mistake on the inbound, giving Italy one final chance, but the visitors also failed to execute and the hosts escaped with the victory.

    Nurkic finished with a dominant 25 points, 14 rebounds and two steals, shooting 11-of-15 from two-point range, 3-of-5 from the free-throw line and 0-of-4 from three.He finished with 14 rebounds, including six on the offensive end, underlining his dominance around the basket.

    Kenan Kamenjas added 13 points, while Nico Mannion and Simone Fontecchio led Italy with 14 points apiece.

    IMPORTANT WINS: Shengelia heroics lift Georgia past Montenegro, Portugal upset Spain

    Georgia defeated Montenegro 101-74 at home, riding another outstanding performance from the nation’s now-established hero, Tornike Shengelia.

    The hosts were in control for most of the game, but Montenegro refused to go away and remained within striking distance for much of the contest. That changed late in the third quarter, when Georgia began capitalizing on a series of offensive rebounds, with Shengelia and Goga Bitadze making the difference around the basket. That proved to be the decisive moment. Georgia finally opened a double-digit lead, while Montenegro completely lost its rhythm from there. 

    Shengelia finished with 24 points on 9-of-22 shooting from the field, adding seven rebounds, while Bitadze contributed 23 points and eight rebounds. Yogi Ferrell led Montenegro with 12 points.

    The victory moved Georgia to 4-3 in the extremely tight Group I. Spain lead the way at 6-1, followed by Ukraine at 5-2, while Georgia and Montenegro are both 4-3. Greece and Portugal sit at 3-4, meaning the battle for the World Cup spots is likely to go down to the final games.

    Aleksandar Dzikic also opened his postgame press conference in his own distinctive style. To applause from those in attendance, the Serbian coach first addressed the media in Georgian before switching to Serbian to offer a holiday greeting.

    Portugal pulled off an upset on the road, defeating Spain 95:89 in a game that remained completely level for most of the night.

    The result may come as a surprise, but Spain were without Santi Aldama, giving Portugal a genuine opportunity from the opening tip. Led by Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta, the visitors stayed firmly in the game and never allowed Spain to establish control.

    The contest remained extremely close until the fourth quarter, when Portugal finally created separation. Queta and Travante Williams led a decisive scoring run that gave the visitors the crucial advantage, which they managed to protect until the final buzzer. Williams led Portugal with 22 points, while Queta added 16 points and nine rebounds. Dario Brizuela was Spain’s standout scorer with 19 points.

    OTHER MATCHES: Turkey demolish Lithuania, Serbia cruise past Iceland

    Turkey comfortably defeated a depleted Lithuania 94-66 at home, dominating from start to finish.

    Lithuania entered this window without a long list of key players, including Domantas Sabonis, Matas Buzelis, Kasparas Jakucionis and Jonas Valanciunas, while several EuroLeague players and regular national team members were also unavailable.

    That lack of quality and depth was reflected on the court, as Lithuania never seriously challenged Turkey. The hosts controlled the game throughout and repeatedly extended their advantage beyond the 20-point mark.

    Cedi Osman led the hosts with 22 points, while Omer Yurtseven added 17. Osvaldas Olisevicius was Lithuania’s top scorer with 11 points.

    The difficult situation surrounding Lithuanian basketball has also been evident away from the court. Valanciunas recently slammed the Lithuanian Basketball Federation and its president Mindaugas Balciunas, calling for changes within the organization amid growing divisions.

    Serbia comfortably defeated Iceland 102-73 in the Belgrade Arena, although the visitors made the hosts work for it during the opening quarter.

    Iceland actually led 27-25 after the first 10 minutes, with Nikola Jokic having an unusually quiet start offensively. However, Nikola Tanaskovic then emerged as an unlikely hero, scoring 15 almost consecutive points to give Serbia control of the game. From that point on, Serbia had no major problems protecting its advantage and eventually secured a convincing 29-point victory.

    Tanaskovic finished with 23 points to lead Serbia, while Jokic scored just six but added 13 rebounds and six assists. Elvar Fridriksson led Iceland with 19 points.

    STANDINGS

    In Group J, Turkey continued their perfect run in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and remain at the top of the standings with a 7-0 record. Serbia and Italy follow at 5-2, with Italy dropping to that mark after their defeat.

    Three teams are now tied at 3-4, with Lithuania, Iceland and Bosnia and Herzegovina all still in contention as the race for the remaining World Cup spots continues.

    Group J:

    1. Turkey 7-0
    2. Italy 5-2
    3. Serbia 5-2
    4. Bosnia & Herzegovina 3-4
    5. Lithuania 3-4
    6. Iceland 3-4
    Standings provided by Sofascore

    In Group I, Ukraine and Spain remain tied at the top of the standings with 5-2 records. Georgia and Montenegro follow at 4-3, while Portugal have now also moved to 4-3 after their upset victory over Spain. Greece sit at 3-4, leaving the race for the World Cup spots extremely tight.

    Group I:

    1. Spain 5-2
    2. Ukraine 5-2
    3. Georgia 4-3
    4. Montenegro 4-3
    5. Portugal 4-3
    6. Greece 3-4
    Standings provided by Sofascore

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