Bahamas guard No. 7 Buddy Hield drives the ball against Finland guard No. 34 Jacob Grandison during a basketball game between Finland and Bahamas in the FIBA 2024 Olympic Qualifiers in Valencia on July 2, 2024. (Photo by Jose Jordan/AFP)
Buddy Hield and the Bahamas are one step closer to the Paris Olympics. Luka Doncic and Slovenia now face an uphill battle to get there.
Hield scored 24 points, Valdes Edgecomb Jr. added 20 and the Bahamas beat Finland 96-85 on Tuesday in the opening game of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain.
“We hung in there. We got the win today,” Hield said. “We came together and we found solutions. The game of basketball is a run game. In the first half, we didn’t fully understand that.”
Schedule: Gilas Pilipinas at FIBA OQT in Riga, Latvia
The tournaments in Spain and Greece were two of four tournaments that began Tuesday to determine the final four spots in men’s basketball for the Paris Olympics. The others are in Latvia and Puerto Rico, both of which also begin Tuesday. Group play at the four venues continues through Thursday, with the semifinals scheduled for Saturday and the four games for Olympic spots on Sunday.
The Bahamas overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to finish the game up 44-21 with 17 minutes left.
But Slovenia never got a chance to come back. Croatia led by as many as 29 points and won 108-92 in Piraeus, Greece. Doncic had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for Slovenia, while Dario Saric had a triple-double of 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for Croatia. Goran Filipovic added 21 points and Ivica Zubac added 18 points in 19 minutes.
Slovenia’s Luka Doncic reacts during a basketball match during the FIBA 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Athens on July 2, 2024. (Photo by Alice Messinis/AFP)
Croatia can reach the semifinals with a win against New Zealand on Wednesday, while Slovenia must beat New Zealand on Thursday to keep their Olympic hopes alive.
“Croatia played great,” Doncic said. “They dominated us. … I have to play better than this and we have to play with better energy.”
Doncic was bothered by the injury during Dallas’ loss to Boston in the NBA Finals and looked visibly in pain on Tuesday, but insisted he would keep playing.
“It’s an honor for me to play for my country,” Doncic said. “I get hurt a lot, but it’s a big honor for me to play for my country. We are two million people and representing my country means everything to me.”
Read: Doncic and Antetokounmpo take on final challenge at Paris Olympics
Deandre Ayton added 19 points and Eric Gordon added 16 for the Bahamas, which can advance to the final round of qualifying with a win over Poland on Wednesday. It’s an intriguing matchup for the Bahamas. Three starters are NBA players, but their starting point guard is former Michigan State player and current associate head coach at Bowling Green University, Laura-Wolves Nairn.
“He’s a coach’s dream and I think the players love playing with him,” Bahamas coach Chris DeMarco said. “He’s definitely a great fit for this team and he could have made a living doing this, but he pursued a different career.”
Mikael Jantunen and Edon Makuhuni each scored 20 points for Finland, which will face Poland on Thursday.
Spain 104, Lebanon 59
In Valencia, hosts Spain won behind Santi Aldama’s 17 points, Ousmane Garba’s 15 and Jaime Pradilla’s 14. Spain can reach the semifinals with a win against Angola on Wednesday.
Yousef Khayat has scored 20 goals for Lebanon, who face Angola on Thursday.
Brazil 81, Montenegro 72
In Riga, Latvia, Brazil trailed for much of the game but rallied to outscore Montenegro 29-16 in the fourth quarter.
Bruno Caboclo had 25 points and nine rebounds for Brazil, and Marcelinho Huertas added 17 points.
Nikola Vucevic led Montenegro with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Montenegro must beat Cameroon on Wednesday to keep their semifinal hopes alive. Brazil plays Cameroon on Thursday.
Latvia 83, Georgia 55
In Riga, hosts Latvia outscored Georgia 28-11 in the second quarter and took complete control to secure the opening win.
Arturs Strautins led a balanced Latvian scoring attack with 18 points on 5-of-5 shooting, while Mareks Mejelis had 11 points (also on 5-of-5 shooting) and Rolands Smits finished with 10 points.
Sandro Mamukelashvili led Georgia with 14 points.
Latvia can advance to the semifinals with a win against the Philippines on Wednesday, while Georgia and the Philippines play their final group game on Thursday.
Dominican Republic 90, Egypt 77
For Piraeus, Jean Montero scored 17 points and the Dominican Republic opened up a lead with a 14-0 run late in the second quarter and early in the third.
Chris Duarte had 14 points, Victor Liz had 12 and Angel Nunez had 11 for the Dominican Republic.
Ahmed Metwally led Egypt with 24 points.
The Dominican Republic can book a place in the semifinals with a win against Greece on Wednesday, while Egypt plays Greece on Thursday and must win to stay in the running.
Italy 114, Bahrain 53
In San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Danilo Gallinari and Nicolo Melli scored 14 points apiece, while Italy finished with seven players in double figures.
Ahmed Haji led Bahrain with 12 points, but they conceded 19 by the end of the match.
Bahrain must beat Puerto Rico on Wednesday to have any chance of reaching the semifinals. Italy plays Puerto Rico on Thursday.
Lithuania 96, Mexico 84
In San Juan, Lithuania opened the second half with a 27-7 lead to secure its first win.
Marius Grigonis led Lithuania with 21 points and Tadas Sedekerskis added 12. Domantas Sabonis had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Mexico’s Joshua Ibarra scored 18 points.
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Lithuania can advance to Saturday’s semifinals with a win against Ivory Coast on Wednesday, while Mexico plays Ivory Coast on Thursday and possibly clinch another semifinal berth.
