Will Greece be knocked out of the tournament again in the quarterfinals?
Shortly after narrowly advancing against Israel (84:79), Vasileios Spanoulis summed up his team’s next course in one sentence: “It’s time to break the course.” With this sentence, the Greek head coach alluded to the 16-year drought without a medal at the EuroBaskets. We expect a close match in the Lithuania vs. Greece tip.
Led by the once again outstanding Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Greeks secured their fourth consecutive quarterfinal appearance against Israel. However, in 2015 (vs. Spain), 2017 (vs. Russia), and 2022 (vs. Germany), the tournament ended at this stage for the winner of Group C. Another elimination is conceivable in our Lithuania vs. Greece prediction.
The entire game of Spanoulis’s protégés is geared towards the skills of the 30-year-old. Giannis Antetokounmpo has shouldered this burden with ease so far, averaging the second-most points in the tournament (30.0 points per game) and turning up the heat in the round of 16 (37 points, 10 rebounds).
The best sports betting providers have made a clear call in the Lithuania vs. Greece betting odds, favoring the 13th-ranked team in the FIBA rankings with odds of less than 1.50 to win. For our taste, this favorite status for Spanoulis’ team is a bit exaggerated.
Both teams have scored an average of 86 points per match – Lithuania even slightly more (86.5). In addition, Rimas Kurtinaitis’ team has performed as a solid unit at this European Championship, defending with discipline and often pushing the limits of what is allowed, not only in the round of 16 against Latvia (88:79).
Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates are in for an intense day of work, which we believe will end with “under 85.5 points for Greece.” The NEO.bet betting app currently offers odds of 1.76 for this bet on Lithuania vs. Greece.
Lithuania – Greece Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Over the past few years, the two national basketball teams have crossed paths on numerous occasions. Since 2004, there have been ten direct duels between Lithuania and Greece. None of these matches saw the Greeks score more than 82 points.
In addition, the Greek team was satisfied with less than 70 points in three of the four previous matches. The presence of the Greek Freak alone should lead to this mark being exceeded. Without the active support of his teammates, it will be difficult to reach 80 points or more.
Lithuania – Greece Tip
Both teams have had a convincing group stage, each compiling a 4-1 win-loss record ahead of the round of 16. The Greeks finished top of Group C, while Lithuania was only beaten by the DBB basketball team.
The German team is also the only one to have scored more than 85 points against Kurtinaitis’s defense so far. The Lithuanians’ defensive play has been fantastic lately, conceding less than 80 points in three consecutive games.
Lithuania won the last direct comparison by a clear margin (92:67). In contrast to the Greek team, the number 10 in the FIBA rankings is defined by team unity, which even allowed NBA pro Jonas Valauncunas to sit on the bench in the round of 16 (9 minutes of playing time).
Depending on how well the shooters around Giannis Antetokounmpo perform, it is likely to be a close match in which intensity will be the deciding factor. After the Greeks had hit around 45 percent of their three-pointers in the preliminary round, only 16 percent of their three-point shots found their mark in the round of 16 against Israel.
