Finland thought it could pull off a surprise and beat the Bahamas in the opening game of the Pre-Olympic tournament. Halfway through the third quarter, it was ahead (64-52), cheered on by a large crowd that swapped the orange of the orange kettle for white and blue. But in the end, the quality and strength of the Caribbean team prevailed and a 1-21 run in the third quarter gave the Bahamas an opportunity that was impossible to overcome.
The three NBA players from the Bahamas were unstoppable. Deandre Ayton is a colossus in the paint. He was one rebound away from a double-double (19 points and 9 rebounds) and it seems that he will have no rival in the paint in this tournament. Buddy Hield did his thing and his record went up to 24 points and 6 rebounds. Eric Gordon, on the other hand, was the one who shone the least in the statistics (16 points). But he made the key basket when Finland still had some hope of victory.
Finland based its game on three-point shooting. It shot from 6.75m as many times as it did from two (35). Paris forward Jantunen scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Maxhuni carried the scoring load, also with 20 points. But without its star Laurie Markkanen, injured in the shoulder, the Bahamian muscle was too much.
However, Finland came out cold, despite the 1,500 Finnish fans who had been warming up La Fonteta for hours before the start of the game. It was Bahamas who showed their strength from the start. The accuracy of the Sixers duo, Hield and Gordon, and the 213 centimetres of the Blazers centre, Deandre Ayton, dominated the Valencian court. A three-pointer from Miller seemed to launch Bahamas (13-22, min. 6). But the Finns, led by a great Nkamhoua, did not let up. A basket from him left them within reach of a point at the end of the first half.
Bahamas was not able to adapt to Finland’s somewhat anarchic game, which abused the three-pointer (19 shots in two quarters). Maxhuni (3 of 3 in the first half) had a hot hand from the 6.75m line. Ayton kept up with the Caribbeans, but they were very soft at the back. A three-pointer from Jantunen gave the Nordics their first lead (41-38). The beardless Muurinen (17 years old) excited the crowd with two baskets in a row, the second after capturing a rebound in the Valencia sky. A three-pointer from Grandison gave Finland the maximum lead (54-45), with 28 seconds left before the break. Gordon, with two free throws, reduced the lead to -7 before the break.
Finland had relied on three-pointers. Three in a row at the start of the third quarter, the last with an extra point for Maxhuni, gave Finland the highest score of the entire game (64-52, min, 23). At that very moment, the Bahamian team saw that the game was lost and began to defend in NBA playoff mode. And on top of that, Hield started to score from outside. The partial (1-21), was devastating for the Finns.
The final quarter was already downhill for the Bahamians despite Jantunen and Valtonen trying to make an almost impossible comeback. Edgecombe joined the party of the three Caribbean NBA players with a poster dunk. Nevertheless, Finland had a chance after a late start. They got within three points (85-88), with two free throws by Maxhuni, with 1:22 left. But then the big boys appeared. Eric Gordon, with a suspension at the buzzer, finished off the Nordic team.
Follow the AS Newspaper channel on WhatsAppwhere you will find all things sport in one place: the latest news of the day, the agenda with the latest news on the most important sporting events, the most outstanding images, the opinion of the best AS journalists, reports, videos, and a bit of humour from time to time.
2024-07-02 17:48:23
#NBA #victory #Bahamas
