Brazil's men's basketball team is going to the Paris Olympics, after a 19-0 run over the final 3:21 of the first quarter set the tone in what became a surprisingly easy 94-69 victory over Latvia.

Published 2 years ago on Jul 13th 2024, 11:00 am
By Web Desk

Giannis Antetokounmpo is now an Olympian.
Antetokounmpo is heading to the Olympics for the first time after he scored 23 points and Greece held off Croatia 80-69 on Sunday in one of the four men's basketball qualifying tournament finals being held to determine the final spots in the 12-team field for the Paris Games.
Georgios Papagiannis scored 19 for Greece, which also got 14 from Nick Calathes and earned an Olympic berth for the first time since 2008.
"It's very nice to qualify because that's the first step," Papagiannis said. "At the Olympics, we're looking to do something really good there."
Ivica Zubac had 19 points and 13 rebounds for Croatia, which got 15 points apiece from Mateo Dreznjak and Mario Hezonja and 14 from Dario Saric.
Greece will be placed in Group A for the Paris Games, facing Australia, Canada and either Spain or Bahamas in the opening stage.
Already having qualified for the Paris field: the four-time defending gold medalist U.S., France, Germany, Japan, Serbia, South Sudan, Canada and Australia. France qualified as the host nation; the other seven teams on that list qualified based on their finishes at the World Cup last summer.
Following the World Cup, 24 teams were left to compete for the final four slots. They were decided in these winner-take-all qualifiers, which started last week. Brazil grabbed the first of those spots Sunday, then Greece and Spain followed.
The last spots in the 12-team Olympic field will be decided later Sunday when Lithuania visits Puerto Rico.
Spain 86, Bahamas 78
Rudy Fernandez is going to the Olympics for the sixth time, a first for any men's basketball player. And Spain had to dig deep to get him there.
Spain earned its seventh consecutive Olympic berth after holding off the Bahamas 86-78 at Valencia, Spain.
Lorenzo Brown had 18 points for Spain, which got 14 from Willy Hernangomez, 12 from Santiago Aldama and 10 from Usman Garuba.
Buddy Hield led the Bahamas with 19 points. Deandre Ayton scored 17, Eric Gordon had 15 and Valdez Edgecombe Jr. finished with 12.
Like Greece, Spain is in Group A for the opening stage of games in Paris alongside Australia and Canada.
Brazil 94, Latvia 69
At Riga, Latvia, Brazil used a 19-0 run over the final 3:21 of the first quarter to set the tone in what became a surprisingly easy 94-69 victory over Latvia.
Bruno Caboclo led Brazil with 21 points and Leo Meindl added 20. Caboclo made a 65-foot 3-pointer to end the first quarter -- one in which Brazil was 8 for 8 from beyond the arc to take a 34-11 lead and stun the home crowd.
Rihards Lomazs scored 15 for Latvia, which got 14 apiece from Rolands Smits and Arturs Zagars.
Brazil will be placed in Group B for the Olympics, with games against France (July 27), Germany (July 30) and Japan (Aug. 2) in the opening stage.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Antetokounmpo is heading to the Olympics for the first time after he scored 23 points and Greece held off Croatia 80-69 on Sunday in one of the four men's basketball qualifying tournament finals being held to determine the final spots in the 12-team field for the Paris Games.
Georgios Papagiannis scored 19 for Greece, which also got 14 from Nick Calathes and earned an Olympic berth for the first time since 2008.
"It's very nice to qualify because that's the first step," Papagiannis said. "At the Olympics, we're looking to do something really good there."
Ivica Zubac had 19 points and 13 rebounds for Croatia, which got 15 points apiece from Mateo Dreznjak and Mario Hezonja and 14 from Dario Saric.
Greece will be placed in Group A for the Paris Games, facing Australia, Canada and either Spain or Bahamas in the opening stage.
Already having qualified for the Paris field: the four-time defending gold medalist U.S., France, Germany, Japan, Serbia, South Sudan, Canada and Australia. France qualified as the host nation; the other seven teams on that list qualified based on their finishes at the World Cup last summer.
Following the World Cup, 24 teams were left to compete for the final four slots. They were decided in these winner-take-all qualifiers, which started last week. Brazil grabbed the first of those spots Sunday, then Greece and Spain followed.
The last spots in the 12-team Olympic field will be decided later Sunday when Lithuania visits Puerto Rico.
Spain 86, Bahamas 78
Rudy Fernandez is going to the Olympics for the sixth time, a first for any men's basketball player. And Spain had to dig deep to get him there.
Spain earned its seventh consecutive Olympic berth after holding off the Bahamas 86-78 at Valencia, Spain.
Lorenzo Brown had 18 points for Spain, which got 14 from Willy Hernangomez, 12 from Santiago Aldama and 10 from Usman Garuba.
Buddy Hield led the Bahamas with 19 points. Deandre Ayton scored 17, Eric Gordon had 15 and Valdez Edgecombe Jr. finished with 12.
Like Greece, Spain is in Group A for the opening stage of games in Paris alongside Australia and Canada.
Brazil 94, Latvia 69
At Riga, Latvia, Brazil used a 19-0 run over the final 3:21 of the first quarter to set the tone in what became a surprisingly easy 94-69 victory over Latvia.
Bruno Caboclo led Brazil with 21 points and Leo Meindl added 20. Caboclo made a 65-foot 3-pointer to end the first quarter -- one in which Brazil was 8 for 8 from beyond the arc to take a 34-11 lead and stun the home crowd.
Rihards Lomazs scored 15 for Latvia, which got 14 apiece from Rolands Smits and Arturs Zagars.
Brazil will be placed in Group B for the Olympics, with games against France (July 27), Germany (July 30) and Japan (Aug. 2) in the opening stage.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Here’s how Iran could become a “forever war”
- 10 hours ago

These animals can cause big trouble. Why are states unleashing them by the millions?
- 34 minutes ago

Casio’s new $600 calculator is a work of art
- 3 hours ago

Adobe’s AI image generator can now be trained on your own art
- 3 hours ago

Waymo hits 170 million miles while avoiding serious mayhem
- 3 hours ago

The people dying in ICE custody
- 10 hours ago

The pain from the Strait of Hormuz crisis will be felt far beyond the pump
- 10 hours ago

James Talarico’s “no meat” controversy explains a lot about America
- 10 hours ago

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving is on the cusp of a recall
- 3 hours ago

How to talk to your doctor about money
- 10 hours ago

Fitbit’s AI health coach will soon be able to read your medical records
- 3 hours ago

Maybe it’s time for The Bachelor franchise to end
- 10 hours ago
You May Like
Trending





