The second day of our EuroBasket Diary is in the books, and what a day it was. Groups C and D tipped off in Poland and Cyprus, delivering wild results right from the start. From a historic first basket for the host nation to an upset that few saw coming, the day had it all.
The stars showed up, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Dončić both put on clinics with individual brilliance. But while Greece secured an important win and Slovenia came up short, it was Poland and Georgia who owned the headlines by the end of the day. Poland’s Jordan Loyd couldn’t miss, turning the opener into his personal shooting showcase, while Georgia’s size and physicality overwhelmed the defending champions.
Day 2 had everything: surprises, highlight-reel plays, and the kind of intensity that reminds you why EuroBasket is must-watch basketball. Read more in this article!
Georgia 83, Spain 69
One of the biggest surprises of the tournament unfolded in Cyprus: Georgia stunned reigning champions Spain, 83–69. Unless you’ve been listening to the European Hoops Podcast and tracking our daily tips, this one likely caught you off guard.
From the tip, Georgia looked sharp offensively. Their movement without the ball was crisp, built on handoffs designed to free Sandro Mamukelashvili and Tornike Shengelia, while Kamar Baldwin carved up Spain’s defense by creating for both himself and teammates. Transition play was key, Georgia scored 10 points off turnovers in the first seven minutes, punishing Spain’s early sloppiness. Baldwin repeatedly pierced the paint and Georgia’s physicality set the tone. Even their wrinkles hit: a clever “grenade” action, a post handoff late in the clock, paid dividends multiple times.
Spain eventually steadied, cranking up defensive pressure and leaning on ball movement to find a rhythm. Their younger guards brought energy, but struggled to generate their own offense. Willy Hernangómez emerged as a reliable option inside, though Goga Bitadze made every post touch a battle.
At halftime, Georgia’s 37–35 edge came largely from a 15–8 lead in points off turnovers. Spain opened the second half with Jaime Pradilla in the lineup, perhaps hoping for more defensive mobility and pace. But Shengelia responded with six quick points to re-establish control, and coach Ilias Zouros kept urging his team to run. Georgia ripped off a 7–0 burst out of a Spanish timeout, and suddenly the pressure was on the champs.
When Georgia kept the ball moving, Spain’s defense cracked. Closeouts left Mamukelashvili open from deep, and he made Spain pay. Still, Georgia’s offense sputtered at times, long dry spells that left the door open. Spain tried to wedge their way back with a full-court press and later a 3–2 zone, trimming the margin to five in the fourth. But their shooting betrayed them: 6-for-13 at the line, and just 7-for-32 from three.
Ultimately, Georgia’s size and force dictated the outcome. They controlled the glass (16–9 on offensive rebounds, 12–5 in second-chance points) and wore Spain down physically. Mamukelashvili was brilliant, consistently making the right reads and serving as the hub of the offense. Baldwin and Shengelia delivered when needed, and Bitadze anchored the paint.
Spain, meanwhile, couldn’t find enough from key pieces. Santi Aldama and Dario Brizuela combined for just 23 points, while Hernangómez’s touches mysteriously dried up in the second half despite his success. That decision will linger as one of the big “what ifs” of this upset.
Georgia didn’t just pull off a shocker, they imposed their style on the defending champs. For a team long known as scrappy but inconsistent, this was a defining EuroBasket moment.
Israel 82, Iceland 71
In a hard-fought, physical matchup, Israel eventually wore down Iceland to secure an 82–71 victory.
Iceland opened with a crisp offensive rhythm, leveraging sharp off-ball movement and quick passes to expose Israel’s defense. But Israel countered with pace, attacking the rim early and pushing in transition to keep Iceland on its heels. As the first quarter wore on, Israel tightened its defense, cutting off driving lanes and forcing Iceland into tougher looks. Still, Iceland’s transition attack kept them close, and Israel held just a 23–19 edge after the first.
The second quarter was a grind. Iceland leaned on high ball screens with Martin Hermannsson and Tryggvi Hlinason to manufacture offense, but Israel’s rotations were sound, showing timely help and taking away clean driving angles. From deep, Iceland was frigid, just 2-of-9 in the first half, while defensively they clogged the paint to deny Israel easy finishes. Both teams struggled to generate perimeter scoring, but Israel’s edge in talent nudged them ahead 36–32 at halftime.
The game shifted dramatically after the break. Roman Sorkin drilled back-to-back threes to stretch the floor, and Israel’s defense amped up the pressure on Hermannsson, who endured a brutal night (1-for-11 from the field). The result: a 17-point Israel cushion. But Iceland refused to fold. They leaned on rugged, physical defense and Hlinason’s relentless presence inside, logging nearly 30 minutes through three quarters with 11 points and 14 boards, to trim the deficit to single digits. Heading into the fourth, Israel’s lead was cut to eight.
From there, Israel’s depth took control. Sorkin, unstoppable all night, buried his fourth three on his way to a career-type line (31 points, 5 rebounds). Deni Avdija imposed his size and strength, earning trips to the line and anchoring a 19-point lead with a balanced two-way effort (20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks). Israel’s perimeter defense also sealed the deal, limiting Iceland to a dismal 5-for-29 from three (16%).
To their credit, Iceland’s bench showed fight, pressing full court and cutting the lead to 10 with late-game turnovers forced. But the damage was done. Israel’s ability to punish Iceland’s 16 turnovers, combined with dominant performances from Sorkin and Avdija, proved decisive.
France 92, Belgium 64
France opened their EuroBasket campaign with a statement, dismantling Belgium 92–64 in a game defined by depth, defense and relentless pressure.
From the start, Belgium had no answers inside. France controlled the paint on both ends, and their defense turned every Belgian pick-and-roll into a dead end. Aggressive hedges bottled up ball-handlers, with only Jaiteh operating in drop coverage. Offensively, France’s spacing looked shaky early, an 0-for-7 start from deep in the first quarter made it clear, but they consistently generated good looks. When the second unit checked in, the offense bogged down a bit, partly because Alexandre Sarr’s screens lacked the force of Jaiteh’s. But the defensive disruption was constant: France forced eight first-quarter turnovers, with a flurry of deflections that made Belgium’s perimeter life miserable.
The depth advantage showed quickly. Sixteen of France’s first 32 points came from the bench, and there was virtually no drop-off when the starters sat. The shooting woes lingered into the second quarter (1-for-12 from three with two minutes left in the half), but France simply overpowered Belgium at the rim, scoring 24 of their 43 first-half points in the paint. Belgium tried to hunt mismatches against smaller French guards, but with switches on every ball screen, those mismatches rarely turned into efficient offense. France led 43–30 at the break, despite leaving a bunch of open threes on the table.
The third quarter started with a lull in intensity, but France locked in quickly, especially on Emmanuel Lecomte, Belgium’s lone reliable creator. France denied him touches with full-court pressure and turned him over five times. With the defense smothering Belgium’s halfcourt flow, the offense finally found rhythm: 3-for-6 from three in the quarter stretched the margin into blowout territory.
By the fourth, France had both the cushion and the momentum. The offense hummed along, the full-court press never relented, and the shooting surge continued (3-for-4 from deep to start the final quarter of the game). The final numbers underline the dominance: France shot just 28.6% from three but crushed Belgium in the paint (38–20), on points off turnovers (19–8), in transition (17–3 fast break points), and on the glass (14–4 second-chance points).
France didn’t just beat Belgium, they strangled the game with defensive intensity, depth, and control of every margin that mattered. Outside of a brief dip early in the third, it was a clinic in how to win ugly while still looking overwhelming.
Bosnia and Herzegovina 91, Cyprus 64
Bosnia and Herzegovina opened their Group D campaign with a 91–64 win over host nation Cyprus, though the final margin glosses over a few shaky stretches.
Bosnia came out firing, ripping off a 10–0 run before Cyprus even got on the board. The hosts settled in after a timeout, with Ioannis Pashialis notching their first-ever EuroBasket basket, a milestone moment in front of the home crowd. Cyprus leaned heavily on the three-ball in the first quarter, finishing with zero points in the paint. Bosnia occasionally mixed in a full-court press to disrupt rhythm, but Cyprus stayed within reach thanks to Konstantinos Simitizis, who drilled 3-of-5 from deep. Bosnia’s focus wavered at times, letting Cyprus hang around longer than expected.
By halftime, Bosnia had pulled away to a 47–26 cushion. Cyprus had already cycled through multiple defenses, including a 2–3 zone, trying to find answers. Filip Tigkas was a bright spot, tallying nine first-half points while flashing creativity as both a scorer and a passer. Still, Bosnia’s size was overwhelming and they controlled the paint despite some carelessness (seven first-half turnovers). Their offense was balanced, with 20 points inside and seven threes before the break.
The third quarter, however, flipped the script. Cyprus outscored Bosnia 23–11, powered by 10 points from the red-hot Simitizis. Bosnia’s offense cratered, they went 0-for-10 from beyond the arc in the quarter and their lead shrank to single digits. But in the fourth, experience and talent reasserted themselves. John Roberson sparked a decisive 8-point burst, and Bosnia’s shooting normalized at the right time (6-for-11 from three in the final frame).
Ultimately, Bosnia’s superior size and length wore down the Cypriots. Jusuf Nurkić was efficient in limited minutes, posting 18 points and 6 rebounds in just 21 minutes. But Bosnia’s lapses were clear—they surrendered 13 offensive boards and let Cyprus dictate stretches of the third quarter. For the hosts, Simitizis was sensational, finishing with 22 points, while Tigkas chipped in 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Bosnia left with a convincing win, but also a reminder: careless stretches and lapses in focus could prove costly against stronger opponents in Group D.
Slovenia 95, Poland 105
Poland outgunned Slovenia 105–95 in a pure shoutout.
The tone was set immediately: bombs away. Slovenia opened 3-for-6 from deep in the first quarter, but Poland was even hotter, burying 5 of 8. Luka Dončić and his crew showed they were ready to trade buckets, but Poland had Jordan Loyd in flamethrower mode 5-of-6 from three in the first half alone. Slovenia’s occasional lapses in transition defense gave Poland extra bite, and a buzzer-beating layup from Kamil Łączyński sent them into the half with a narrow 47–46 edge. Dončić carried Slovenia with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, plus 2 steals and 2 blocks before the break, setting the stage for a classic Luka night.
The third quarter swung the game. Poland erupted with a 15–3 run out of halftime, stretching the lead to 13 and eventually 15. Slovenia tried an ultra-small lineup, but the lack of a true big left their defense shredded. Dončić poured in 10 in the period, but Poland couldn’t miss, 11-for-18 from three through 30 minutes.
Still, Poland never fully slammed the door. Their own lapses, fouls, defensive breakdowns, thin rotations, kept Slovenia hanging around. The final quarter turned into a chess match of mismatch hunting and defensive scrambling. Slovenia cut the deficit to seven with just over five minutes left, but frustration boiled over, unnecessary fouls, and a general lack of composure to try to close the gap. Poland had their own problems, losing both big men to foul trouble or injury, leaving them without a true center down the stretch.
In the end, the difference was simple: shot-making. Poland finished a blistering 14-for-26 from deep (54%), while Slovenia hit just 13-for-37 (35%). Loyd stole the spotlight with 32 points on 7-for-8 from three, a near-perfect display of perimeter scoring. Dončić answered with his own masterpiece 34 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, plus 5 steals and 2 blocks, but Slovenia’s defense couldn’t withstand Poland’s pace and precision.
Poland didn’t just steal a game, they won a firefight, leaning on their home crowd, fearless perimeter shooting and Loyd and Ponitka’s brilliance to topple one of the best players in the tournament.
Greece 75, Italy 66
In a gritty, physical contest, Greece leaned on their size and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominance to grind out a 75–66 win over Italy.
From the opening tip, Greece’s physical edge was obvious. Italy threw doubles at Giannis after his first dribble and switched screens liberally, but the strategy only led to early foul trouble and mismatches inside. Greece exploited those breakdowns for easy half-court looks. On the other end, their defense was locked in, Kostas Papanikolaou in particular frustrated Simone Fontecchio, denying Italy’s star any rhythm. Coach Vassilis Spanoulis went back to a familiar wrinkle: spacing the weak side with a stretch four, preventing help rotations on Giannis and freeing shooters for open threes.
Even so, the game never broke open. Despite Fontecchio going scoreless, Italy trailed just 36–32 at the half after tightening up defensively in the second quarter. Nicolo Melli was especially effective attacking closeouts, giving Italy just enough juice to stay close while Greece’s offense stagnated.
The second half was more of the same, slow, physical, and choppy. Italy hovered within striking distance but could never seize momentum. Fontecchio’s struggles continued, scoreless through three quarters, and every brief opening seemed to close quickly. When Giannis sat to start the fourth, Italy had a window, but Greece’s supporting cast weathered the stretch.
Down the stretch, Italy’s defensive pressure finally forced a few turnovers, but they couldn’t cash them in. Then came the backbreaker: a defensive lapse that left Thanasis Antetokounmpo alone for a dagger three. Italy’s Matteo Spagnolo slashed for a few late buckets, but Giannis slammed the door with back-to-back finishes in the paint to put the game away.
Giannis finished with a commanding 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists, underscoring just how central he was to every possession. Italy, meanwhile, shot a woeful 7-for-27 from deep, and with Fontecchio neutralized until a meaningless late score, they simply lacked the firepower to keep up.
This wasn’t pretty, but it was quintessential tournament basketball: a star bending the game to his will, and a defense suffocating an opponent’s best weapon. Greece will take it. Italy, on the other hand, will be left wondering how far they can really go without Fontecchio carrying more of the load.
This article was written by the European Hoops team: Tiago Cordeiro, João Caeiro, Diogo Valente and André Lemos. Make sure you give us a follow on Twitter at @EthosEuroleague!
