Here's a rundown of the action from day two at EuroBasket 2022.
EuroBasket: EuroLeague, EuroCup players impact Day 2
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Group C: Ukraine dominates, Greece impresses, Italy gets off to winning start
Ukraine outscored Great Britain in every quarter of their match on Friday afternoon to win 90-61. Great Britain were down by 10 points at the break, trailing 42-32, but the second half saw Ukraine flex its muscle and take further control of the game. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk of Ukraine was the game's leading scorer with 17 points, while Luke Nelson of Great Britain and the London Lions impressed in a losing effort with 16 points and 5 assists. There were three players from the 7DAYS EuroCup that particularly impressed for Ukraine, as Prometey pair Denys Lukashov and Illya Sydorov and Gran Canaria's Artem Pustovyi contributed a combined 26 points in the victory.
Greece stepped up when it needed to during its opening game against Croatia, as it secured an 89-85 win in front of a full house in Milan. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tyler Dorsey finished with 27 points apiece for Greece, which had a 19-point lead going into the break. However, while Croatia fought back to made it a close game in the final stages, Antetokounmpo made a couple of crucial plays to ensure that Greece got off to a winning start. ALBA Berlin guard Jaleen Smith was particularly impressive for Croatia, scoring 20 points in the second half after having just three points at half time. Krunoslav Simon, who left Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the offseason and will have his jersey retired by the team, turned back the clock to aid Croatia's efforts, but it was not enough. Instead, this Greece team, which had EuroLeague players Nick Calathes, Kostas Papanikolaou, Ioannis Papapetrou and Kostas Sloukas all play important roles in the win, showed why it is one of the favorites to win the EuroBasket 2022.
Italy sent its fans home happy on Friday night after beating Estonia 83-62 in Milan. Former Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz forward Simone Fontecchio shone brightest for Italy, ending with 19 points and 5 assists, but he was helped by four Turkish Airlines EuroLeague players. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan duo Nicolo Melli (17 points) and Luigi Datome (11 points) both impressed on their team's home floor, while Virtus Segafredo Bologna's Nico Mannion had 12 points and new Anadolu Efes Istanbul signing Achille Polonara recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Estonia youngster Kerr Kriisa had a game-high 20 points. Despite losing Danilo Gallinari to injury, Italy showed that it is ready to make some noise during the EuroBasket 2022.
Group D: Israel wins in OT, Poland silences Czech crowd, Serbia's stars shine
Israel edged past Finland on Friday afternoon in a fiercely contested battle in Prague, winning 89-87 in overtime. It was Finland who started the game the better, running out to a 27-16 lead, but Israel responded and levelled up the game at 40-40 at the break. The second half was a tight affair, and it took a three-pointer from former Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward Deni Avdija to send the game to overtime. The extra period got off to a great start for Israel when Maccabi's Rafael Menco drained a three-pointer off an assist from ALBA Berlin's Tamir Blatt, which was his 10th dish of the game. Then, Avdija, who finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds, played an integral role in Israel emerging with the victory. His battle with Finland's Lauri Markkanen, who put up 33 points and 12 rebounds himself, will live long in the memory. Israel's win was particularly aided by 39 points from four players competing in the EuroLeague and EuroCup: Hapoel Tel Aviv's Tomer Ginat scored 13, ALBA's Blatt finished with 8, and then Maccabi's Guy Pnini and Menco had 10 and 8 points, respectively.
Poland went into Prague and convincingly beat the Czech Republic 99-84 on Friday evening, thanks to a combined 63-point output from Mateusz Ponitka and Gran Canaria duo AJ Slaughter and Aleksander Balcerowski. Expectations were high for the Czech Republic, with FC Barcelona signing Tomas Satoransky returning from injury to link up with new club teammate Jan Vesely, but it was Poland who started the stronger, racing out to a 29-18 lead after the first quarter. Yet, the Czechs responded in the second quarter to ensure that the score was level at halftime. In the second half, though, Poland reasserted its dominance on the night to silence the home crowd en route to a very impressing opening-round victory.
Serbia came into the EuroBasket 2022 with a lot of hype, and it lived up to expectation in its 100-76 triumph against the Netherlands in Prague on Friday night. Nikola Jokic was the leading scorer for Serbia with 19 points, while Anadolu Efes Istanbul star and 2021 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic had a double-double with 15 points and 12 assists. The good news for Serbia is that a further three players got into double figures: Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz forward Vanja Marinkovic (18 points), Dusan Ristic (11 points) and new FC Barcelona arrival Nikola Kalinic (10 points). The Netherlands's Worthy de Jong recorded the highest number of points in the game with 28, but ultimately it was in vain. It was Serbia who was in control the game from the start until the finish, as it laid down a marker for the remainder of the competition.