FIBA World Cup roundup (Sept. 9): Greece falls short vs. Czech Republic

The 2019 FIBA World Cup is under way in China and while we closely track the U.S. Men’s National Team, here’s a quick look at all the action from FIBA World Cup play on Sept. 9.

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Greece 84, Czech Republic 77

The hopes Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece had for a run to the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals are over.

Despite Antetokounmpo fouling out with 5 minutes, 32 seconds left in Monday’s game, Greece managed to prevail against the Czech Republic. However, since margin of victory has tiebreaker implications at the FIBA World Cup, Greece will not be moving on. It needed to win by 12 points or move to surpass the Czechs in the standings.

The victory by Greece did secure a quarterfinals spot for Team USA, which defeated Brazil to lock up the top seed in Group K. Even though they lost on Monday, the Czechs have reached quarterfinals and will face Australia on Wednesday thanks to Team USA defeating Brazil.

With Greece's 7-point win, USA has clinched a berth in the quarterfinals, but still needs to beat Brazil for the top seed out of Group K.

USA win…
1. USA (5-0)
2. Czech Republic (3-2, w/ tiebreaker over BRA & GRE)

Brazil win…
1. Brazil (4-1)
2. USA (4-1)

— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) September 9, 2019

Antetokounmpo finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals while his brother, Thanasis, had 11 points and two rebounds. Former Memphis Grizzlies guard Nick Calathes was the top scorer for Greece, notching 27 points (on 5-for-9 3-point shooting), six rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Chicago Bulls guard Tomas Satoransky flirted with a triple-double (13 points, eight assists, nine rebounds) in the win for the Czech Republic.

Australia 100, France 97

Thanks to some clutch free throws from Matthew Dellavedova, a late defensive stand by Patty Mills and sharp shooting from Aron Baynes all game long, Australia remains perfect in FIBA World Cup play.

Dellavedova drew a foul on Rudy Gobert, the star center for France and the Utah Jazz, with less than 20 seconds to play, which led to Gobert fouling out. Dellavedova drove the lane with under 5 seconds to play and drew a foul on Vincent Poirer, going 1-for-2 to give Australia a 99-98 advantage.

 

On the next possession, France’s Andrew Albicy threw a bad inbounds pass that was picked off by the San Antonio Spurs’ Mills, who quickly passed to Mitch Creek. Creek was fouled on a last-second heave, went 1-for-3 from the line and Australia had its win.

The victory ensures that France will take on USA in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals, while Australia will take on the Czech Republic. Both games will be held Wednesday.

FIBA World Cup quarterfinals:

Argentina-Serbia (Tuesday)
Spain-Poland (Tuesday)
USA-France (Wednesday)
Australia-Czech Republic (Wednesday)

If US wins against France, would then play the winner of Argentina-Serbia in semis Friday in Beijing. Final is Sunday in Beijing.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) September 9, 2019

Baynes, a burly big man for the Phoenix Suns, was sizzling all night from 3-point range. Although he is a career 28.1% 3-point shooter in the NBA, Baynes went 5-for-6 on 3-pointers, including a clutch 3-pointer with 2:51 left that gave Australia a 90-89 lead. Mills led Australia with 30 points (on 10-for-18 shooting) while Jazz forward Joe Ingles was solid as well (23 points) in the win.

 

For France, Orlando Magic swingman Evan Fournier had 31 points, six rebounds and four assists to lead the way. Former NBA player Nando De Colo had 26 points off the bench while Charlotte Hornets forward Evan Fournier had 13 points.

USA 89, Brazil 73

The United States Men’s National Team clinched a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a 89-73 win over Brazil at the FIBA World Cup on Monday. The U.S. now moves on to the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup (a berth the Americans clinched with Greece’s win over the Czech Republic earlier in the day) as one of four teams with 5-0 records through pool play.

The U.S. will play France (4-1) in the quarterfinals in Dongguan on Wednesday (7 a.m. ET). The winner of that game will face the winner of Tuesday’s game between Argentina (5-0) and Serbia (4-1) in the semifinals. The Czech Republic (3-2) advanced to the other half of the bracket via a point-differential tiebreaker over Brazil (3-2) and Greece (3-2).

Brazil’s run in the FIBA World Cup has come to an end despite a 3-2 overall finish in FIBA World Cup play. The U.S. Team’s win solidified the quarterfinal bracket, in which Argentina will meet Serbia and Spain will play Poland on Tuesday.

Lithuania 74, Dominican Republic 54

Lithuania ended its run in the 2019 FIBA World Cup with a victory, defeating the Dominican Republic in resounding fashion. Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas was strong all game long, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds to power the victory. Former New York Knicks forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas was also solid in the win, notching 12 points and four rebounds.

 

Although the Dominican Republic cut Lithuania’s halftime lead to seven (after trailing by as much as 14 points), it faltered and finished its FIBA World Cup run at 2-3.

Germany 82, Canada 76

In classification round action, Germany pulled away from Canada in the fourth quarter to finish atop the Group P standings at 3-2. Canada finishes its FIBA World Cup run at 2-3 to cap off a disappointing showing at the FIBA tournament.

 

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder had 21 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to pace Germany’s victory. Dallas Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber also was solid in the victory, adding 20 points and four rebounds. Canada was paced by Orlando Magic center Khem Birch (15 points, nine rebounds) and former Houston Rockets big man Kyle Wiltjer (18 points, five rebounds).

New Zealand 102, Turkey 101

In the classification round, New Zealand closed out its play in the 2019 FIBA World Cup with a thrilling finish. Isaac Fotu nailed a 2-foot hook shot with 30 seconds left to push New Zealand past Turkey, 102-101. The country finished 3-2 overall in World Cup play, including a 2-0 run through the classification round.

For Turkey, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman had 32 points (12-for-21 shooting), six rebounds, four assists and three steals in the loss. Former Boston Celtics center Semih Erden had 12 points and two rebounds in the defeat for Turkey, which finished 2-3 in FIBA World Cup play.

Other scores from Classification Round 17-32:

• Montenegro 80, Japan 65

• Jordan 79, Senegal 77

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