A stratospheric Markkanen scores 43 points and quotes Finland with Spain in the Eurobasket quarterfinals

Spain will face a giant this Tuesday (17.15, Four) in the quarterfinals of the Eurobasket: Lauri Markkanen, the 2.13m stem that this Sunday led Finland to victory against Croatia 94-86.

In the tournament of Doncic, Antetokounmpo and Jokic, another star breaks through.

At just 25 years old, Markkanen put in the kind of performances that alone decide a tie in a big match: 43 points, half that of the entire rival team, and nine rebounds to dismantle the team of Bojan Bogdanovic and Mario Hezonja.

Markkanen was unstoppable for Croatia.

Inside and out, in the paint and outside, the boy was a martyrdom for whoever he had in front of him.

He scored under the board and from distance (two triples), and ripped apart the Croatian defense with his penetrations and his runs, a sprinter from rim to rim to finish with a dunk.

With that height and footwork he is a very difficult player to contain.

There Spain will have to rack its brains again to find a dance partner that can dry it out.

By muscle, Willy Hernangómez is ready for the body, but he may have a hard time when the Finn leaves the cave and wanders around the perimeter.

Garuba and Pradilla have less bodywork than the tower of Finlandia, so it may be the moment of Juancho Hernangómez, lower in centimeters (2,

TELL EM HOW YOU REALLY FEEL LAURI 😤🐺#EuroBasket x #BringTheNoise

📺 https://t.co/XA74VljBO4 pic.twitter.com/QSmWD1blST

– #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) September 11, 2022

Finland steps on almost virgin ground.

She has only played one World Cup, invited in 2014 (she was 22nd), in a Eurobasket her best position is sixth place in 1967 and she has only appeared in two Games, 1952 and 1964. But now Markkanen has changed the scenario.

They were already second in their group, with three wins and two losses, only behind Jokic's Serbia.

And against Croatia they once again showed themselves to be an orderly team, which moves the ball quickly and ends up in the cannon of its star.

Markkanen will play next season in Utah after spells in Chicago and Cleveland.

Last year he recorded 14.8 points and 5.7 rebounds in an average of 30 minutes on the court in the 61 games he played with the Cavaliers, where he coincided with Ricky Rubio.

Now, from the stands of the Mercedes Benz Arena you can see Dirk Nowitzki,

Markkanen made the jump to the University of Arizona after shining in the 2016 U-20 European Championship. In one of those games, he scored 33 points against Spain.

This Tuesday, the appointment will be to be in the semifinals of the Eurobasket.

Poland beat Ukraine 86-94 with 24 points and five rebounds from Slaughter and will face Slovenia in the quarterfinals.

Crosses of the final phase of the Eurobasket.

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