Israel rallied behind Yaniv Green's 26 points and 12 rebounds to beat Serbia 87-83 on Wednesday, sending the Serbs to their earliest exit from the European Championship in 60 years.
At Sevilla, Portugal surprised Latvia 77-67 and reached the second round in its tournament debut, advancing when Marko Tomas' three-pointer with three seconds left lifted Croatia over Spain 85-84 in Group B.
At Alicante, Andrea Bargnani and Marco Belinelli led Italy over Poland 79-70 and enabled it to avoid its worst finish in tournament history. Also in Group C, Slovenia won its third, beating France 67-66 when Tony Parker missed a game-tying free throw with two seconds left.
And in Palma de Mallorca, Saraunas Jasikevicius scored 15 points and had 10 assists to help Lithuania hold off Germany 84-80 and finish unbeaten atop Group C. Turkey joined its two rivals in the next round thanks to an 80-72 win against the Czech Republic.
Also, Russia topped Group A with a 61-53 win over Greece.
A second round of group play begins today in Madrid, with Portugal opening against Russia, Spain facing Greece, and Israel playing Croatia. Tomorrow, Italy plays Lithuania, France takes on Germany and Turkey is against Slovenia.
First-round results against fellow qualifiers carry over, with the top four from each group moving into the quarter-finals, which begin on Thursday.
At Granada, Israel trailed Serbia 45-33 with a minute to go in the first half, but started the third quarter with a 23-11 run, capped by Meir Tapiro's running jump shot for its first lead -- 59-58 with 3:07 remaining.
Guy Priny hit three consecutive field goals in 1:42 to rally Israel from a one-point deficit to a 68-62 advantage -- a lead it never surrendered.
It was Serbia's worst finish at the Euros since 1947, when it finished 13th in its debut.
At Sevilla, Pau Gasol led Spain with 26 points, but picked up his third foul with 6:09 remaining in the third, forcing him out of the game and enabling Croatia to rally from a nine-point deficit.
The Croatians went on a 18-5 run and took a 65-61 lead, and even with Gasol's return to the floor, extended the advantage to 77-70 with 7:08 remaining. Then it was Spain's turn to rally, surging with a 14-2 run and an 84-79 lead, paced by seven straight points Rudy Fernandez while Croatia went scoreless for 5:33.
Four players scored in double figures for Portugal, which won its first ever championship game as Latvia shot only 28 percent from the floor.
Inside the Centro de Tecnificacion, Bargnani had 19 and Belinelli 20 as Italy rebounded from late stumbles in its two previous games to win its first, beating Poland 79-70.
Earlier, a Matjaz Smodis jumper and three free throws by Domen Lorbek had Slovenia ahead 67-65 and the game appeared headed for overtime when Uros Slokar fouled Parker with two seconds remaining. Parker converted the first of two to give him 11 points, but left the second short for France's first loss.
At Palma de Mallorca, Germany cut a 17-point halftime deficit against Lithuania to 11 by the start of the fourth, and Nowitzki -- the tournament's leading scorer with 29 points per game -- reduced it to 81-78 with a three of his game-high 28 points.
Turkey controlled its game against the Czech Republic from the outset. The Czechs closed with 31-28 with 5:25 left in first half, but with guards Hidayet Turkoglu and Ibrahim Kutluay leading the way, Turkey went on a 15-3 run to take a commanding 46-31 lead by halftime.
At Granada, Andrei Kirilenko recorded a third straight double-double -- 12 points and 17 rebounds -- and Russia won its third straight to top Group A.
US-born point guard John Robert Holden scored 17 for Russia while Vasileos Spanoulis led Greece with 12 points.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or