In the third preparatory match, much like the previous encounters against France and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro showcased its potential at EuroBasket, despite the loss.

The Montenegrin basketball team fell short against Greece in Thessaloniki (69:61), yet displayed impressive performance for 30 minutes, often leading and proving to be worthy opponents against one of Europe’s stronger squads.

However, a significant dip in performance in the final moments may have been due to a lack of depth, as coach Boško Radović noted prior to the match, allowing Vasilis Spanoulis’ team to seize the opportunity and secure the win, even without the presence of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

A positive takeaway for Montenegro was the debut of Kalj Olmen, who shone as one of the team’s top players, contributing nine points and five assists.

He marked his first points wearing the red jersey (five in succession), along with a basket from Đorđij Jovanović and free throws from Marko Simonović that pushed Montenegro to their initial significant lead (19:12).

Following this, Montenegro faced a slight downturn as the Greeks went on an 11:0 run, bringing the score to 23:19, but Simonović’s three-pointer signaled that Montenegro was still in the fight.

Montenegro led throughout much of the first half, heading into the break with a 35:32 advantage, and continued their solid performance in the third quarter.

During this period, Jovan Kljajić excelled with impressive drives and rebounds, while Olmen began assisting, culminating in Vučević’s three-pointer, marking Montenegro’s largest lead at 47:38.

Yet, this advantage dwindled as the final quarter began; with just over five minutes remaining, the scoreboard read 56:54 in favor of Greece, marking their first lead of the second half.

Shortly after, Konstantinos Mitoglu’s 2+1 play and Giannoulis Larentzakis’ three-pointer raised the tally to 65:56, and then 67:56, making it apparent that Montenegro was headed toward defeat in this third test.

Nikola Vučević led the Montenegrin team with 33 points and seven rebounds in just 13 minutes on the court, while Igor Drobnjak also had a solid game with 11 points, matching Simonović who added six steals to his performance.

Mitoglou was the standout player of the match with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Tyler Dorsey added 13, Kostas Antetokounmpo scored 11, and Larentzakis finished with 10…

Montenegro’s next test match is set for Sunday at 16:30 in Bar against Israel, offering fans a prime opportunity to support Montenegro as they gear up for EuroBasket.

Radović’s squad will kick off the European Championship on August 27 against the reigning world champions, Germany. The Tampere group will also feature hosts Finland, Lithuania, Sweden, and Great Britain.

GREECE – MONTENEGRO 69:61 (15:19, 17:16, 13:16, 24:10)

Location: Thessaloniki – PAOK Sports Arena. Attendance: 5,000. Referees: Simeonidis, Picilkas, and Bakalis (Greece).

Greece: Dorsey 13, Larentzakis 10, Slukas 1, Kalaicakis 4, Papanikolaou 3, Kacivelis, Samodurov 5, Hugaz, K. Adetokounmpo 11, T. Adetokounmpo 2, Mitoglou 20, Bazinas.

Montenegro: Olmen 9, Vučević 33, Slavković 4, Hadžibegović 5, Simonović 11, Tomašević, Vučeljić, Jovanović 4, Živanović, Nikolić, Drobnjak 11, Kljajić 4.

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