MIES (Switzerland) - Italy claimed a big win over Serbia in the Aegean Acropolis Tournament to headline a slate of four exciting tuneup games on August 10 with just over two weeks until the start of FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

Here's a look at how the games went. Don't forget to keep up with all of the exhibition game action leading up to the main event in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia that gets underway in 15 days!

"Blue Wave" crash Serbia in Athens

Italy found themselves trailing by as many as 17 points early in their first game of the Aegean Acropolis Tournament against Serbia but hit the reset button and came away with an 89-88 win to maintain the positive vibes of their World Cup preparation campaign.

Matteo Spagnolo (12 points) sparked a run and eventually got the score even at 36 before the halftime break.

The game went down to the wire as Serbia got a late three-point play by Nikola Jovic (18 points, seven rebounds) and a three-pointer by Bogdan Bogdanovic (14 points) yet Italy survived thanks to a Simone Fontecchio (13 points) free-throw.

"Voitto on aina voitto"

It wasn't easy for Finland but in the end they defeated Estonia, 86-80.

Finland head coach Lassi Tuovi stressed that this game was part of a "bigger picture" and "longer learning process" and that "a win is a win".

Finnish superstar Lauri Markkanen had yet another big game for Susijengi with 29 points and 13 rebounds. Sasu Salin added 12 points and eight assists.

France deal Lithuania first blow in back-to-back games

In the first of two games between the two European basketball giants, France rode the wave of a big mid-game charge to beat Lithuania 90-72.

The clash was tightly contested in the early stages before France scored 19 unanswered points from the tail end of the first half through early in the second.

Lithuania trailed by as many as 23 points and only got as close as 13 the rest of the way.

Five players scored in double-digits for France, led by forward Guerschon Yabusele (15 points) and giant center Rudy Gobert (14 points). Nando De Colo, back with France after missing last summer's EuroBasket, was outstanding with 13 points and eight assists.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas had team highs in points (18) and rebounds (seven) for Lithuania.

Germany ride strong start to beat Canada ahead of SuperCup

Germany and Canada, who could end up meeting in the Basketball SuperCup in Hamburg this weekend, squared off in Berlin.

In this warmup game that was knotted 79-79 with less than a minute to play, Germany's Franz Wagner drilled a go-ahead three-pointer to lead the hosts to an 86-81 win.

The home team sprinted out to a 27-14 advantage in the first quarter and had a commanding 50-34 lead at halftime.

Canada charged back with a 13-0 run to start the third quarter. After the visitors tied the contest at 79-79 with one minute to go in the game, Germany turned to Wagner and he answered with the three to put the home team in front for good..

Wagner led Germany with 18 points (and four steals). Daniel Theis (17 points) and Dennis Schroder (16 points, eight assists) were also instrumental in the win.

Lu Dort led Canada with 14 points while RJ Barrett scored 12.

Upcoming

The 32nd Aegean Acropolis Tournament will continue with a clash between Italy and Greece, a game is being streamed live on Courtside 1891 with the Max Pass or World Cup Bundle.

Spain, USA, and Slovenia will also be playing from August 11-13 to celebrate the 100th anniversary Federacion Espanola de Baloncesto in Malaga.

Germany and Canada could square off again in Hamburg on Sunday at the Basketball SuperCup. Host Germany will first face China and Canada will face New Zealand on August 12. The winners will then face each other on August 13 for the Final, while the defeated squads will battle for third place.

Australia will also play their first official tuneup games against World Cup-bound national teams as they tip-off the "Boomers vs the World" event on August 14 in Melbourne. The other teams involved are Venezuela, Brazil, and South Sudan.

There are many more games set to take place in this entire week, so make sure to stay updated on all of the preparation plans for all teams with this handy tracker.

 
FIBA