RIGA (Latvia) - It was a beautiful Sunday in Spain back on September 9, 2007, when an eight-year-old Neemias Queta watched as his compatriots picked up a memorable 94-85 win over Israel in the Second Round of FIBA EuroBasket 2007.
Little did he know that Portugal would wait another 18 years until he was big enough to carry the nation to their next win. Portugal recorded their first EuroBasket win since 2007 with a 62-50 triumph over Czechia to open up Group A proceedings in Latvia.
Turning Point
Portugal were one step ahead of Czechia from their 7-0 start to the game, but could not break away for good until midway through the third quarter. That's when they had two capital threes, Rafael Lisboa knocking them down on consecutive possessions to open up a 40-30 lead.
With Czechia struggling to break 50 points in this game, Portugal could afford a stress-less finish to the game.
TCL Player of the Game
When you're an NBA champ and a clear leader of your national team, you might feel pressure on such a big stage. Not Neemias Queta, though.
The Boston Celtics center was all over the place, getting 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks in the first half alone, and plenty of players would be happy with that stat line. Not Neemias Queta, though.
He controlled the paint after the break, finishing with 23 points, 18 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals and an efficiency rating of 39.
Queta is the first player to register at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in their EuroBasket debut since FIBA began tracking rebounding numbers.
To say that we're looking forward to seeing him match up with Nikola Jokic, Alperen Sengun and Kristaps Porzingis in the upcoming Group A games would be an understatement.
Stats Don't Lie
Czechia looks surprised by the defensive intensity that coach Mario Gomes got from his players. Portugal forced 19 Czech turnovers, paving the way towards an 11-3 advantage in fast break points and 21-10 in points off turnovers.
Bottom Line
Both teams will enjoy a day off on Thursday, before the back-to-back program of Friday and Saturday.
Portugal will take on Serbia and Türkiye, respectively, while Czechia face Türkiye and Estonia. They got 10 points from Vit Krejci in this one, but will need more offense than this if they plan to pick up a win or two in Riga.
They Said
"It's a big win for Portugal, we surprised everyone a bit, but now we have to keep working because now people are going to be looking at us differently. So let's stay humble, it's only one win. We know what we're gonna do, let's try to keep improving, do better things for the next game." - Miguel Queiroz, Portugal
"We missed some shots early and had 3 fast break points, against a team with Queta down there, it's really hard to play 5v5 when he's in the paint. It's a learning curve." - Vit Krejci, Czechia
"I know he had like 23, but we still didn't give him the ball enough. I think if we were to give him the ball like six more possessions, he'd have 37 points or something. He's a big time player, EuroBasket is the perfect place for him to show his talent and sometimes it doesn't get recognized in the NBA, but he's playing great, that's our guy, we wanna go through him." - Travante Williams, Portugal, talking about Queta
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA