Giannis helps Greece eliminate defending champion Spain at EuroBasket

LIMASSOL, Cyprus: Defending champions Spain were eliminated from EuroBasket in the group stage when they lost 90-86 to Greece, who were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 25 points and 14 rebounds Thursday.

Tyler Dorsey chipped in with 22 points as Greece advanced to the round of 16 atop Group C. They will face Israel on Sunday for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Spain entered the final group game with a 2-2 record, including a loss to Georgia in their opener that cost them a tiebreaker and left them in a must-win scenario. The Greeks had already qualified after winning three of their first four games.

Spain trailed 50-35 at halftime but rallied and twice took the lead in the fourth quarter before Kostas Sloukas made a layup and a pair of free throws in the final minute to seal the win.

Jaime Pradilla scored 14 points and Mario Saint-Supery added 13 for Spain, which had beaten France in the 2022 final.

In other late action Thursday, Belgium defeated already qualified Poland 70-69.

Nurkic leads Bosnia and Herzegovina

Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic scored 15 points as Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Group C rival Georgia 84-76 to reach the knockout stage.

Bosnia and Herzegovina will play Poland on Sunday in the last 16.

Georgia trailed by 12 points at halftime but pulled even at 71-71 with just over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter in the Cypriot city of Limassol.

Nurkic stopped Georgia’s momentum with a hook shot to spark a nine-point run. The Georgians ran out of gas and its bench mustered just four points in the game.

Nurkic also had a game-high 12 rebounds for his third straight double-double of the tournament.

Toronto Raptors forward Alexander Mamukelashvili led Georgia with 20 points and eight rebounds.

Des