Finland will be Spain’s opponent on Saturday in the semi-finals of the pre-Olympic tournament in Valencia after defeating Poland 88-89 on Thursday. The Poles dominated much of the match, but let their lead slip away in the last quarter (17-29). Finland made it to the semi-finals despite not having its star player, Lauri Markkanen, who is out for this tournament. Jantunen with 20 points and Madsen with 18 were the most outstanding. Meanwhile, Lebanon defeated Angola 70-74 and will play against the Bahamas for a place in the final.
Slovenia were on the ropes in the pre-Olympic tournament in Athens after losing to Croatia on the first day. In Thursday’s decisive match against New Zealand, their star player, Luka Doncic, came to the rescue. He scored 36 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to seal a 78-104 victory and qualify for the semi-finals. The Slovenian team, however, could not get enough of a lead (Doncic would have only converted a three-point attempt in the last second) to top the group, so they will face the host team, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece, in the semi-finals. The Greeks beat Egypt 93-71 without the help of their star player, who rested. In the other semi-final, Croatia will face the Dominican Republic.
In the pre-Olympic games in Riga, the semi-finals will be Brazil-Philippines and Latvia-Cameroon. Georgia and Montenegro were eliminated.
Eight teams have already qualified for the Paris Games: France, the United States, Germany, Serbia, Canada, Japan, South Sudan and Australia. The other four will be the winners of the four pre-Olympic tournaments taking place this week (Valencia, Athens, Riga and San Juan).
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2024-07-04 21:43:34
#SpainFinland #semifinals #Valencia #preOlympic #tournament #Basketball #Sports
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