A complicated debut, marked by low percentages and too many hesitations. The Italian Basketball European Championship began with a misstep: in Limassol, on the first day of Group C, the Azzurri fell 75-66 to Greece, led by a dominant Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks star lit up the evening with 31 points and 7 rebounds, confirming why the Greeks are considered one of the most credible candidates for the top three.
Italy never managed to find offensive consistency. The start was challenging (22-12 after the first quarter), and while Nicolò Melli's spirit in the second period (the Italian's top scorer with 15 points) allowed them to close the gap to four points at halftime, after the locker rooms, Greece regained control. A run by the usual Antetokounmpo and baskets by Sloukas and Mitoglou created a lead that quickly became irrecoverable.
Gianmarco Pozzecco's team shot a disappointing 7-for-23 from beyond the arc, suffering from the struggles of their key players. Simone Fontecchio's contribution was lacking, imprecise and ineffective (4 points, 1-for-11 from the field), as was Marco Spissu of Sassari. Some encouraging signs came from the younger players: Saliou Niang (11 points) and Matteo Spagnolo (10) attempted to shake up the team in the final minutes, with a burst of energy that reduced the deficit to -5. But Greece was able to repel every attempt, confidently closing out a game that had always remained under control.
For Italy, a bitter debut already requires an immediate response. On Saturday at 2 p.m., against Georgia—who surprised Spain in their opening match—much greater intensity will be needed to stay in contention for the second round.
Greece-Italy 76-55
Greece: Dorsey 6, Larentzakis 3, Toliopoulos 8, Sloukas 9, Kalaitzakis, Papanikolaou 3, Katsivelis, Samodurov ne, G. Antetokounmpo 31, K. Antetokounmpo, T. Antetokounmpo 6, Mitoglou 9. All. Spanoulis.
Italy: Gallinari 8, Melli 15, Fontecchio 4, Thompson 3, Ricci 5, Spagnolo 10, Procida ne, Niang 11, Spissu, Diouf 4, Akele ne, Pajola 6. All. Pozzecco. 22-12; 36-32; 56-45.
