Greek basketball superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo led the national men’s team to a comfortable win against the Dominican Republic in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Piraeus, Greece.
The “Greek Freak” hadn’t set foot on a court for an official game since April 9th, when he suffered a calf strain during the 2024 NBA Playoffs. This injury caused him to miss key games in the first-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers, which Milwaukee ultimately lost.
His return, however, was exceptional, as Giannis dropped 32 points stamping his dominance on the 109-82 victory.
Shooting perfectly from the two-point range (10/10) and from beyond the arc (1/1), he only missed at the free throw line, where he converted 9 out of 13 attempts.
Giannis also grabbed a couple of rebounds and contributed 2 assists, achieving a game-high 34 EFF in just 18 minutes and 10 seconds of play.
Antetokounmpo’s Greece will face Egypt on Thursday in their second and final group-stage game.
The Dominican Republic was without Karl-Anthony Towns and Al Horford for the FIBA OQT. However, the Sacramento Kings guard Chris Duarte shone for the losing side, scoring 26 points and making 5 of his 8 three-point attempts.
In the other group, New Zealand pulled off a major upset defeating Croatia 90-86 in the final moments, with Webster (21 points) leading the way. They are now vying for a spot in the semifinals against Slovenia.
