KLAIPEDA (Lithuania) - There was plenty of excitement over the past week or so in Lithuania, as the land of basketball was set to see their two NBA youngsters put on the green jersey for the first time.
The excitement was justified, as Kasparas Jakucionis and Matas Buzelis both impressed in a 105-85 win over Great Britain. With just a game left in the First Round, GB drops to 1-4 in the fourth spot, meaning the 3-2 Lithuania team cannot be caught anymore.
Lithuania will carry over all of their results to the Second Round, which is why they need to have Jakucionis, Buzelis and all the others on this level on the road in Italy - who also qualified with the result - on Sunday.
Both of them started in their first game for Lithuania. Jakucionis, a Milwaukee Buck as of last weekend's blockbuster trade involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, did a bit of everything with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, plus a team-high +35 in 28 minutes of work.
Buzelis was also a starter, the Chicago Bull finishing with 12 points in 23 minutes of action.
It was another game dominated by the Lithuanian bigs, as Jonas Valanciunas and Azuolas Tubelis combined for 41 points on 13-of-18 shooting, with 15 rebounds, 8 assists and an efficiency rating of 58.
Myles Hesson had 22 in a losing effort for GB. They will be holding their breaths later on Thursday, as Iceland could eliminate them with a win over Italy.
Want to see the full highlights of Buzelis and Jakucionis? We've got you covered!
FIBA