Confident Greece win Atlas Tournament
FRIENDLY MATCH
Greece, who were playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo, comfortably defeated Venezuela 74-51 to win the Atlas Tournament ahead of the upcoming 2019 FIBA World Cup.Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage with Go Greek TV!
Antetokounmpo was given a rest with the World Cup in mind, but his absence didn’t prevent the Greeks from winning, as a solid defensive showing allowed the team to keep Venezuela at bay. Greece were presented with the Atlas Tournament trophy after winning all three matches at the competition:
Giannis Bourousis (12 points), Nick Calathes (11 points), Vangelis Mantzaris (11 points) and Giorgos Papagiannis (10 points) were the leading Greek scorers.
Greece will now prepare to face Montenegro in the first match of the 2019 World Cup on September 1.
THE MATCH
The first frame saw Greece claim a narrow one-point advantage with Venezuela sticking with their opponents.
In the second quarter, the Episimi Agapimeni began to pull clear, gaining an 11-point lead while only allowing Venezuela to score six points. Papagiannis impressed with this thumping dunk:
The Greeks subsequently won the concluding two quarters 21-14 and 17-12 respectively to seal the victory.
HIGHLIGHTS: VENEZUELA - GREECE
