Kristaps Porzingis praises Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominance after Greece-Latvia friendly

“It was tough. It was a tough game for us. Giannis had an unbelievable first half. We could have done a better job with him, to be fair, but today was just a tough day today for us, and we look forward to bouncing back tomorrow,” Porzingis said via Giorgos Kyriakidis of Basketnews.com

Antetokounmpo wasted no time imposing his will on Latvia, racking up 25 points and 10 rebounds in just 15 minutes of action. He converted nine of 12 attempts and controlled both ends of the court, turning the exhibition into another effortless display of dominance that left Latvia with virtually no path to victory.

Kristaps Porzingis facing off against Giannis Antetokounmpo

Porzingis also talked about Latvia’s approach to defending Antetokounmpo in the first half, saying their failure to contain the Bucks star forced the team into an uphill fight that kept them battling from behind all night.

“The first half was, was a tough matchup. He’s definitely one of the top players in the world, and he made it tough for us. He looked good, he looked fresh, and he made it tough for us. I think second half we did a better job with him, but I guess he was on limited minutes. But yeah, he’s looking really good and he’s always a tough matchup no matter what, so we look forward to having a better, better game tomorrow [Thursdsay] against Italy,” Porzingis continued.

Greece kicks off Eurobasket pool play against Italy on August 28 at 2:30 PM E.T., and Bucks fans will be watching closely to see if Antetokounmpo delivers MVP-level play this early in the tournament.

Antetokounmpo will need to carry a heavy load for the Bucks to stay in postseason contention next season, but his current form leaves little reason for concern. If he keeps overpowering opponents in the paint and imposing his will on both ends, Greece could emerge as a serious contender for the Eurobasket title.