For the first match of this second day of EuroBasket 2022, Israel and Finland faced each other in Prague for a match, casually, already very essential given the composition of Group D (Serbia, Netherlands, Republic Czech and Poland accompany them). Result of the races a huge game ended after overtime, and an NBAers duel that inevitably caught our attention.
The stats of this BIG opening match of Group D are right here
This match between two outsiders from Group D was an opportunity to see at work, among others, two young NBA players set to dominate on the continental scene. Lauri Markkanen we know, he who has been plowing the FIBA circuit for a few years nowhe who is now well established in the Great League and he who indirectly made the headlines last night by being sent to the Jazz in the transfer of Donovan Mitchell. Deni Avdija? We know less about him, at least the general public knows lessfrom the height of his relative experience with the Wizards (two average seasons, a few injuries, linear progression and a status of big defender especially) and necessarily less high-sounding stats, stats which still represent the main element of a popularity gauge whether we want it or not.
This afternoon in any case, the two zozos had a great time, and the very assumed leadership of the tall curly blond for the Finns was superimposed that of the young winger for Israel. A full match, a start to the meeting sanded by Lauri and his family but a second quarter during which everything is better and during which Deni responds to Lauri. Exchange of proprieties, buckets falling everywhere and the more the match goes on, the more the two establish their go-to-guy status, until a money time that will prove to be intense and clutch as possible for our two NBAers, for the one more than for the other.
Ok Deni Avdija!pic.twitter.com/jt5J4aLsZt
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) September 2, 2022
After this action Lauri Markkanen will respond in stride, the match will start in an overtime during which Deni will crack a big and one in particular, and in the end after a last ball lost from the bottom line by the blond cIt is indeed Israel that surprises on this Day 2, with an oh so important victory against a reference nation on the international scene, qualified as we recall – already – for the next World Cup. The stats of the two jokers in the viewfinder? 33 points and 12 rebounds for the neo-Jazz with physical domination and shooting that commands respect, a crazy putback at the buzzer of the first quarter, and so on and the best. Deni Avdija? 23 pawns, 15 rebounds and 3 assists, and already this role of boss at only 21 years old, which suggests good years to come for his selection, with also the reinforcement to come from a Yam Madar very little used today.
Final score 89-87, a Deni ideally launched with his friends and a Lauri who will have to multiply – even more – to qualify the Finns for the eighth. Who said that each match of this Euro was not a wonderful way to consume basketball? No one, especially not us.