Eurobasket
- Group A - Matchday 3That's how it was
Spain
73 83
Finalized
Belgium
Spain stumbled against Belgium (73-83) in their third match at the Eurobasket, a harder blow due to the bad game offered and the low spirits than due to its effect on the classification.
The team can still be first in the group heading to the round of 16 (four of the six teams pass), if they beat Montenegro on Tuesday and Turkey on Wednesday, although they don't have the ticket in hand either and the match left Scariolo's team with bad Body.
Four teams - Montenegro, Belgium, Turkey and Spain - are level on two wins in this A draw. The team depends on itself to qualify, but not to be first.
Spain was not that set of clenched jaws on defense and all the guys contributing to the piggy bank.
In Tbilisi, a ragged team appeared in the center of the paint, inferior in rebounding (31-40) and to which Lecomte (20 points and four assists) stabbed a knife every time he accelerated towards the hoop.
Less than 20 hours after dancing against Georgia, a Spain with tired legs took a reality check.
More information
Video with the summary of Spain Belgium of Eurobasket 2022
Four points from Willy in his domains and a corner triple from Lorenzo Brown laid the first stones of a road that soon began to fill with potholes for the team.
Belgium caught a couple of three-pointers with a very dynamic game, the ball always traveling quickly from the perimeter to the paint and back, and went up 9-14 to the scoreboard that forced Scariolo to stop the clock.
Alberto Díaz, Jaime Fernández and Pradilla took over in search of a more effective bolt, but Spain was a strainer under their rim.
Up to seven offensive rebounds were caught by the Belgians in the first quarter, a deep wound for the Spanish team, cloudy when in the other basket they sought the triple remedy: a success in the first eight pitches.
Spain had to start from kilometer zero, build the house from the foundations, that defense of joining the shoulders and going out to bite into each tile that for Scariolo is a sacred principle.
There began a reaction that gave the group a juicy profit.
With the ranks tight, Pradilla threw in character with a two plus one, Jaime Fernández closed the triple drought and five points in a row from Brizuela rounded out a 15-0 run for 26-17.
That Spain of the little worker ants was back.
Belgium scored only two points in almost six minutes in the second quarter, but then the cracks appeared again: if Spain does not keep the level of revolutions to the maximum, a vulnerable group emerges (33-32).
🚨 🚨 🚨
Lorenzo Brown hits the buzzer from halfcourt!
🔥#EuroBasket x #BringTheNoise
📺 https://t.co/XA74Vlj3Yw pic.twitter.com/rBwzsoTT4T
– #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) September 4, 2022
A missed three-pointer by Rudy, suffering in the run-up, and another converted by Mwema opened the second half in a game that was difficult to chew.
Lecomte correctly directed the Belgian orchestra, very incisive in the penetrations to score or bend the ball out, a toothache for Brown (39-41).
Spain leaked through the center of the shell and when they wanted to cover up inside, they undressed on the outside (11 triples were celebrated by the rival, from seven different players).
Belgium always moved the ball with discretion, stole and ran, while the team's feet weighed tons, thick to find holes and punished for techniques (54-57).
Spain entered the final stretch a length behind.
Joel Parra and Arostegui added two triples and Belgium responded with the same medicine from Tabu and Obasohan (60-65).
Brown threatened to show up for the duel with Lecomte, but the Belgian point guard was unstoppable, inside and out.
Every time he started, he went into the kitchen to finish off the dish or serve it on a tray to his outsiders.
He never found Scariolo's team the remedy for that play nor did he close the rebound.
Another triple by Lecomte ended the exchange of blows and sent this new Spain to the couch.
“When we make a super effort we are a good team and today we didn't.
We've had bloody errors at the end of possessions.
We are not like that, so poor in effort.
We have to know who we are.
It is a clash of reality and if we use it correctly we can once again see the good version of this team”, analyzed Scariolo.
Spain: Brown (11), López-Arostegui (8), Parra (3), Juancho Hernangómez (11) and Willy Hernangómez (18) -initial quintet-, Jaime Fernández (5), Pradilla (3), Díaz (1) , Brizuela (6), Rudy Fernández (2), Garuba (5).
Belgium: Lecomte (20), Obasohan (11), Gillet (14), Vanwijn (8) and Ismael Bako (10) -initial quintet-, Tabu (6), Mwema (6), De Zeeuw (2), Tumba ( 1), Libert (2), Bleijenbergh (3).
Partials: 11-15, 22-17, 21-25, 19-26.
Referees: Lanzarini, Zapolski and Gurion.
Tbilisi Arena.
Results and classification of the Eurobasket.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on
and
, or sign up here to receive
our weekly newsletter
.