Avdija leads Israel to the upset win.
Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija and Israel got back on track at FIBA’s EuroBasket tournament with a 82-69 upset win over France on Sunday. Avdija was the player of the game, making key plays down the stretch to help Israel surge ahead and turn a tight fourth-quarter deficit into a double-digit win.
The 6-foot-9 forward scored a game-high 23 points on an efficient 7-10 shooting from the field (3-4 on 3s), to go along with eight rebounds, two assists and five steals. Israel trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half and four points in the final frame, but flipped the game with a fast 11-0 run to go up 66-59 with 7:10 remaining. Avdija scored 13 fourth-quarter points, while Israel held France to 13 fourth-quarter points as a team.
France is led by NBA talent including Zaccharie Risacher, Guerschon Yabusele, Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly, among others. Risacher scored a team-high 14 points in the loss, while Sarr didn’t play due to a calf injury.
After a loss to Poland on Friday, the win versus France puts Israel at 2-1 in group-stage play. Among the six teams in Group D, Israel must finish in the top four to advance to the single-elimination knockout rounds. Avdija and Co. will play again on Tuesday against Belgium, then wrap up group play against Slovenia on Thursday.
Category: General Sports
