VIDEO: Belinelli OK after hard fall, Vesely dunks everything as Italy tops Czech
Securing a berth in next summer's Olympic Qualifying Tournament nearly came at a cost for Italy on Thursday, as Sacramento Kings guard Marco Belinelli took a scary fall following a dunk.
Belinelli was able to continue playing, helping lift Italy to an 85-70 victory over the Czech Republic. With the win, Italy ends their EuroBasket 2015 still having hope remaining for a berth in the 2016 Olympics, though the qualifying tournament could prove arduous.
Italy had a strong showing at EuroBasket, upsetting Spain during their 3-2 group phase performance, hammering Israel in the Round of 16, and then taking Lithuania to overtime in the quarterfinals. While they came up short of an Olympic berth by way of making the tournament finals, Italy's trio of Belinelli, Brooklyn Nets forward Andrea Bargnani, and Denver Nuggets wing Danilo Gallinari all had strong showings.
| Player | Belinelli | Bargnani | Gallinari |
|---|---|---|---|
| MPG | 31.6 | 23.6 | 29.9 |
| PPG | 16.3 | 14.8 | 17.9 |
| TS% | 58.6% | 58.6% | 73.3% |
| RPG | 4.3 | 3.6 | 6.9 |
| APG | 3.9 | 0.3 | 2.8 |
The Czech side didn't go quietly, with former Washington Wizards lottery pick Jan Vesely repeating his Wednesday performance with several highlight-reel dunks.
Vesely scored 26 points with 12 rebounds in the loss, and was supported by current Wizards prospect Tomas Satoransky, who scored 12 points and added six assists. The Czech's Wizards of past and future will try to keep their country's hopes of Olympic qualification alive in Friday's seventh-place game against Latvia, where the winner will earn a spot in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.