Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 13 points and the Greek men's basketball team beat Luka Doncic and Slovenia 96-68 in an Olympic qualifier in Greece on Saturday afternoon, moving one game away from qualifying for their first Olympic Games since 2008.
The Greece-Slovenia matchup was one of the most anticipated in the FIBA qualifying tournament, which also included the Dominican Republic and Croatia, but after Doncic, who ended his NBA season in Dallas with a loss in the NBA Finals on June 17, was ill, Slovenia unexpectedly lost to Croatia in pool play on July 2. That meant the two NBA superstars would meet in the semifinals on Saturday instead of the winner-take-all final as most expected.
Greece held Doncic to 21 points on 14 shots despite being without Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who ruptured his left Achilles tendon in June. The eldest of the basketball-playing Antetokounmpo brothers was expected to be Doncic's primary defender.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added four rebounds in about 20 minutes of play, but the Slovenian had no countermeasure against the 30-year-old Bucks star early on.
He scored seven points in the opening minutes of the game, helping Greece lead 15-4 in the first quarter and hold on to that lead the rest of the way.
The tournament in Piraeus, Greece, will mark Giannis Antetokounmpo's first appearance since straining his left soleus muscle in a game against the Boston Celtics on April 9.
Dominican High School graduate Kostas Antetokounmpo did not play in the game.
Greece will face the winner of the match between the Dominican Republic and Croatia in Sunday's qualifying final. Greece beat the Dominican Republic, 109-82, on July 3. The Dominican Republic will be without Minnesota star Karl-Anthony Towns, who represented the country at the 2023 World Cup.
If they win, as expected, it will be the Greek men's basketball team's first Olympic appearance since 2008.
