Giannis Antetokounmpo Olympics Stats (July 30): How did 2x NBA MVP play against Spain?
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece's second Group A clash of the men's basketball event at the 2024 Paris Olympics ended with their opponents, Spain, emerging victorious with a final tally of 84-77 on Tuesday. Antetokounmpo began the game with a defensive rebound and an assist to Nick Calathes to secure Greece's first points.
The Greeks were up one point at the end of the first quarter, but Spain's explosive performance in the second helped it finish the half with a 14-point lead of 49-35. The "Greek Freak" concluded the first half of the game with nine points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal.
The Greeks cut the deficit to one point in the initial minutes of the fourth quarter, which was followed by a series of back-and-forth scoring from both teams to keep the contest close. Antetokounmpo scored a game-tying dunk to level the score at 71-71 with just over four and a half minutes left in the contest which was followed by an 8-0 run by Spain.
The former NBA champion made a 3-point play to cut the deficit to three points with 57 seconds left in the matchup. He then missed an open game-tying 3-point shot, which could have sparked the contest in favor of Greece with just over 20 seconds left.
However, Spain was able to hold Greece down despite its valiant efforts to clinch the game. Giannis Antetokounmpo concluded the matchup with a double-double tally of 27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals to lead Greece's losing effort. He shot an efficient 71% in the game and recorded four turnovers and four personal fouls.
Giannis Antetokounmpo loses back-to-back matchups in Olympics debut
After losing the first outing of its 2024 Paris Olympics campaign, Greece's matchup against Spain marked an important clash for its hopes of having a real shot of advancing to the event's quarterfinals. Despite his valiant performances to lead Greece's effort in the Games, Giannis Antetokounmpo's Olympic campaign has begun with back-to-back losses.
Antetokounmpo lost his Olympic debut game against Canada 86-79 on Sunday, having led Greece's losing effort with 34 points, five rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes of playtime. He also shot an efficient 64.7% from the field in the contest.
Down 0-2 in the group stage, Greece will face Australia next on Friday, which will be a must-win match for the team if it were to stand any chance of advancing in the tournament.