Antetokounmpo, Greece deny Doncic, Slovenia 2024 Olympic qualification

Greece beat Slovenia 96-68 in the semifinals of one of the 2024 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in Piraeus, Greece, on Saturday. Greece are one win away from going to the Olympics for the first time in 16 years after denying Slovenia the opportunity to advance to Paris.

Thomas Walkup led Greece with 19 points and six rebounds in Saturday's game after shooting 7-for-14 from the field. Nick Calathes missed all five of his triple attempts, but dished out 11 assists for the hosts. Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed 13 points and court-high plus/minus of +31.

"Since coach [Vassilis] Spanoulis took this whole deal over, it's been one goal and that's to get to the Olympics," Walkup said. "We're one game away from it. We have to stay humble and focused."

Greece will play Croatia in the final of the tournament on Sunday for a spot at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Slovenia and their superstar guard Luka Doncic will have to watch the two teams compete instead of joining them after losing to Greece.

Doncic played over 34 minutes, more than any other player, in Saturday's game. He finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but also committed 10 turnovers thanks to the opposing team's tough defense. Only one of his teammates, Josh Nebo, also scored in double digits (17 points).

"They played way better than us. They were way more aggressive," Doncic said after the game. "I think they have an amazing team. Obviously, they have Giannis. But other pieces are very important for them too. And they're very well-coached. They outplayed us today."

Slovenia participated in the last edition of the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 and finished in fourth place.