EuroBasket roundup: Luka drops 37 to lead Slovenia past Israel

LIMASSOL, Cyprus (AP) — Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkić scored 15 points as Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Group C rival Georgia 84-76 to reach the knockout stage at EuroBasket on Thursday.

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.

Nurkić 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.

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

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

Spain under pressure

The defeat left Georgia in fourth place and waiting on defending champion Spain’s result against Greece later Thursday.

Spain needed to beat Greece to qualify after losing two of its Group C games. Already-qualified Italy crushed rock-bottom Cyprus 89-54 in the group’s other game.

Slick France too strong

In remaining Group D play, Zaccharie Risacher led with 15 points as France routed Iceland 114-74 in Katowice, Poland.

Risacher, the No. 1 NBA draft pick last year, made three of five three-point attempts and had seven rebounds. France spread the scoring around with seven other players in double digits, and a strong bench contributed 66 points overall.

The win put Olympic silver medalist France provisionally top of Group D ahead of Slovenia, with Poland facing Belgium in the late game

Dominant Doncic

Luka Dončić starred with 37 points as Slovenia beat Israel 106-96 for a third straight win in Group D.

The Los Angeles Lakers star added 11 rebounds, nine assists and three steals — along with seven turnovers. The crowd in Katowice chanted “MVP, MVP” when he came off near the end.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija led Israel with 34 points and nine rebounds.

Both teams had already qualified for the knockout phase in Riga, Latvia, which starts on Saturday.

Spain beat France 88-76 in the 2022 final. ___

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