With an impressive appearance in the fourth quarter and leader, the excellent Dinos Mitoglou, National Basketball managed to overturn the score and dominate Montenegro 69-61 in the friendly match held at Thessaloniki’s PAOK Sport Arena.
National basketball was improved compared to its previous appearances in the Cyprus tournament – where she had suffered defeats by Serbia and Israel – and got her second friendly victory in the context of the preparation for Eurobasket 2025. Three -point, as Vasilis Spanoulis’ players ended the match with 5/34 (!), That is, 14.7%.
With 20 points and 9 rebounds, Dinos Mitoglou stood out for the “official favorite”. Tyler Dorsey added 13 points, 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals by Kostas Antetokounbos, while double -digit, with 10 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds were Giannoulis Larentzakis. Panagiotis Kalaitzakis did a great job in defense.
Nikola Vutchevic finished the match with 13 points and 7 rebounds, while Igor Drobiak and Marco Simonovic (6 rebounds) for Montenegro. Montenegro participates in the second group of Eurobasket 2025, which will be hosted in Tampere and face Finland, Germany, Britain, Lithuania and Sweden.
Outside of the friendly match with Montenegro, Vassilis Toliopoulos and Vangelis Zougris, who are following a recovery program and are expected to be incorporated into the team after returning to Athens, as well as Homer Nezipoglou.
The game
With Sloukas, Kalaitzakis, Papanikolaou, Samondourov and Mitoglou, the National Party entered the parquet, with the latter two having a cut in the 1st minute. “Official Favorite” found 6 points from Mitoglou, with the electronic table showing 10-8, to get Thanassis and Kostas Antetokounbos in the face of Samondourov and Mitoglou shortly afterwards, while Dorsey and Papanikolaou had passed in the parquet. With 0/6 three-pointers, Ethniki saw Montenegro crossing 12-18 and 13-19, while Kyle Alman was counting 2/3 three-pointers for Montenegro. Dorsey reduced to 15-19, 1st period, and while Vasilis Spanoulis’ players had 0/8 three-pointers, but 6/7 two-pointers. Bosco Radovic players shot with bad two -point shot, measuring 3/10 two -pointers.
Costas Antetokounbos scored the first two baskets of Greece at the start of the 2nd period, while Thanassis Antetokounbos’ brother gave the national lead, 21-19. The two more Giannoulis Larentzakis’ points that followed expanded to 9-0 in the “blue-white” series (23-19). Nikola Vutchevic took it personally and with his 4 points led to a 7-0 lead in Montenegro (23-26). Samondourov and Papanikolaou are apt in succession outside 6.75 (29-26), while Mitoglou “wrote” 31-26. Ethniki made mistakes, while the two federal coaches were trying to go to -3 to Greece in the locker room in the halftime (32-35), after Mitoglou’s mistake, Kyle Alman stole, won the foul, and put the fouls, and he put the fouls. And after a fine shot by Sloukas, Vutchevic shaped the first part, with 3 consecutive points, after Mitoglou’s unprofessional foul. Greece’s 2/21 three -pointers over Montenegro’s 3/8 gave Radovic players.
Ethniki reduced Pontus 36-37 thanks to Tyler Dorsey’s 4 consecutive points in response to the Vutchevic basket. Spanoulis would be annoyed, but then watching the Greek internationals make mistakes and have bad choices in the attack. All this was used by Kliajic, Simonovic and Vutchevic to lead Montenegro for the first time (38-47). Five consecutive points of Mitoglou allowed National to “close the gap” (43-47). Dordn Jovanovic was connected to the basket (43-49), Larentzakis reduced to 45-49 with 2/2 shots to shape the 3rd period (45-51) by Igor Drobniak. National counted 3/28 three -pointers in the first 30 minutes!
With a three-point lead by Larentzakis and Dipono by Mitoglou, with the beginning of the last quarter, Ethniki approached Pontos (50-51). Hadjibukovic and Alman kept Montenegro (50-54) at the forefront. Costas Antetokounbos and Tyler Dorsey equalized 54-54. The national team overtaken after … self-sacrifice by Kostas Antetokounbos who with … a blossom held the ball in the four lines to make Panagiotis Kalaitzakis 56-54. The series of “Official Favorite” continued until 59-54 by Kostas Antetokounbos and Panagiotis Kalaidzakis, for the 14-3 of the National in the first five minutes of the 4th period. Now, Vasilis Spanoulis’ players had begun to operate and aggressively, in addition to the steady good defense, to extend to +9, with a new three-point lead by Giannoulis Larentzakis, in favor of their difference (65-56). Costas Antetokounbos returned to the parquet and with 2/2 shots would give a double-digit value to the difference for +11 (67-56), while he was a protagonist in the final minutes until the final 69-61.
The quarters: 15-19, 32-25, 45-51, 69-61
GREECE (Vassilis Spanoulis): Dorsey 13, Larentzakis 10 (2), Sloukas 1, Kalaitzakis 4, Papanikolaou 3 (1), Katsivelis, Samondourov 5 (1), Antetokounbos K.
Montenegro (Bosko Radovic): Alman 9 (1), Vutchevic 13 (1), Slavkovic 4, Hadjibogovic 5 (1), Simonovic 11 (1), Vutchelgic, Jovanovic 4