Preview: Can Lithuania find a way to stop the Greek Freak?

RIGA (Latvia) – Lithuania and Greece are set to determine one of the spots in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Semi-Finals in this true classic of European basketball.

It’s needless to say we have a whole lot of tradition on the line – two basketball nations to their core with 12 FIBA EuroBasket podium finishes between them are about to clash. But there’s quality in the present also with Jonas Valanciunas and Giannis Antetokounmpo going head-to-head.

Hold on, because it’s about to get very crowded in Riga with the number of Lithuanians ready to support their national heroes in the hunt for their first Semi-Finals in a decade. After eliminating Latvia, Lithuania can now be thought of as the team with home court advantage.

But there is a whole lot of Giannis Antetokounmpo for them to deal with. The Greek Freak is on a mission to carry Greece into the Semi-Finals after 16 years, and the two-time champs are near perfect in that quest. Their only loss came to Bosnia and Herzegovina when Giannis did not suit up, whereas Lithuania lost only to Germany.

How did they get here

Lithuania win Baltic derby to snatch Quarter-Finals spot

Giannis counts to 37, Greece soar to Quarter-Finals

It’s hard to single out one matchup out of a very interesting bunch: whether its a clash of legends with Spanoulis and Kurtinaitis on the sidelines or Valanciunas vs Giannis in the paint. After Rokas Jokubaitis’ injury, Arnas Velicka rose to the occasion in Lithuania’s backcourt, but now he’s taking on Kostas Sloukas and Tyler Dorsey. For sure, it’s a must-watch game.

Did you know?

• Lithuania have won four of their last six games against Greece at EuroBasket, but the Greeks won
  their most recent matchup in 2017 Round of 16.

• Greece have the second-best accuracy from three-pointers at the event at 40.7 percent, whereas only two teams have a lower accuracy from that range than Lithuania at 27 percent.

• Lithuania have grabbed an average of 42.2 RPG at the EuroBasket 2025, more than any other team. However, Greece have allowed their opponents to grab 40+ rebounds only once at the event.

_{All information has been provided by Opta.}

What else to read

Lithuania’s unexpected hero: Europe meets Arnas Velicka

20 years on: Greece’s title quest inspired by 2005 heroes

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