RIGA (Latvia) - The Round of 16 concluded just before midnight in the Latvian capital, with the Greek fans singing the celebratory songs after a hard fought battle with Israel.
Propelled by their superstar, Greece flew away for an 84-79 win, claiming the last available ticket to the Quarter-Finals.
They will face a well known opponent there, taking on Lithuania on Tuesday.
Turning Point
Greece led throughout the game, but other than a possession up by 11 late in the first half, they could not break double digits until the last ten minutes.
Israel kept biting into the gap, and crawled back all the way to -2 (60-58) late in the third period.
That's when Kostas Sloukas, Alexandros Samodurov and Kostas Antetokounmpo showed just how deep this team is, creating a quick little 7-1 run to enter the final stanza at +8.
Sloukas' layup made it +10 on the first possession of the fourth, putting the game out of Israel's reach.
TCL Player of the Game
Giannis Antetokounmpo is good at basketball, folks.
The unstoppable Greek God of Dunking started strong and did not take his foot off of the gas pedal, not for a second, sprinting through for 37 points on the day.
He shot 18-of-23 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds for good measure, too.
The 30-year-old extended his run of games with 25+ points to 10 straight fixtures. The only player with more such games in EuroBasket history? Also representing Greece, Nikos Galis, with 19.
Giannis also joined Nikola Jokic, Nikola Vucevic, Luka Doncic (2) and Kristaps Porzingis, the only other players with a 30-10 statline in 2025.
Stats Don't Lie
47.
That's how long this game was tied, for the first 31 seconds and then again for another 16 when Yam Madar made it 2-2.
But for the remaining 39 minutes and 13 seconds, Greece were in control of this matchup, keeping Israel in their rearview mirror.
Bottom Line
Greece are back to the Quarter-Finals for the fourth time in a row in EuroBasket history, and this will be the ninth time in the last 10 editions that they've finished among the top eight teams.
Coach Vassilis Spanoulis opted for a smaller lineup to start the game, with Giannis Antetokounmpo practically playing as the "five" man against the mixed Israeli defenses.
Whatever they tried, guarding him individually with Deni Avdija, Tomer Ginat, Itay Segev or Roman Sorkin, or collectively in their matchup zone, Giannis figured it out, making his first ten two-pointers.
Unable to stop the biggest man on the court, Israel were chasing the gap for 40 minutes, and ran out of gas eventually. Their seventh-place finish from 2003 remains their best result this millennium.
Deni Avdija signed out with 22 points.
They Said
"We are a little bit disappointed right now. But we are very proud of the way we represented this country, it's the biggest privilege of an athlete." - Tomer Ginat, Israel
"They couldn't stop him tonight, and we kept feeding him. He did what he did tonight. He's one of the best in the world, we're glad to have him." - Tyler Dorsey, Greece, talking about Giannis
"Everybody knows the Lithuanian school of basketball. They are competitive, they have fans with them, they have big bodies, they know how to play and it will be a very tough game." - Greece head coach Vassilis Spanoulis previewing the Quarter-Finals
"It's time to break this curse." - Spanoulis about the past 16 years of Greece not winning a medal in EuroBasket
For quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA