Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece and Nimrod Levi of Israel in action during the EuroBasket 2025 round of 16 basketball match between Greece and Israel in Riga, Latvia. Credit: EPA/TOMS KALNINS via AMNA
Propelled by NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece overcame Israel by 84-79, claiming the last available ticket to the Quarter-Finals of EuroBasket 2025.
Greece will face Lithuania on Tuesday for a spot in the Semi-Finals.
Greece led throughout the game, but other than a possession up by 11 late in the first half, they could not break double digits until the last ten minutes.
Israel kept biting into the gap, and crawled back all the way to -2 (60-58) late in the third period. That’s when Kostas Sloukas, Alexandros Samodurov and Kostas Antetokounmpo showed just how deep this team is, creating a quick little 7-1 run to enter the final stanza at +8. Sloukas’ layup made it +10 on the first possession of the fourth, putting the game out of Israel’s reach.
Giannis could not be stopped tonight 😳
Watch all the @EuroBasket action live on @courtside1891: https://t.co/fPC0xWqtRn https://t.co/NHiSC8tiTg pic.twitter.com/ox5iuDgH51
— NBA (@NBA) September 7, 2025
Giannis Antetokounmpo shines again for Greece
Giannis Antetokounmpo shone brightly, guiding Vassilis Spanoulis’ team to victory with a double-double of 37 points and 10 rebounds. He shot an impressive 18/23 from the field, finishing the game with a PIR of 37.
“One of the top three players in the world, his game is very strong and unique, and there’s not much you can do,” said Israel head coach Ariel Beit-Halahmy about Giannis after the game.
“They couldn’t stop him tonight, and we kept feeding him. He did what he did tonight. He’s one of the best in the world, we’re glad to have him,” Tyler Dorsey said about Giannis.
Greece is back in the Quarter-Finals for the fourth time in a row in EuroBasket history, and this will be the ninth time in the last 10 editions that they’ve finished among the top eight teams.
Related: Giannis Antetokounmpo Hoists Greek Flag Ahead of EuroBasket