Semi-finals preview, schedule and how to watch NBA stars

EuroBasket lived up to its reputation as one of the toughest basketball Tournaments around the world as more shock exits set a tantalizing tone ahead of Saturday’s semi-final showdown.

Poland have caused the biggest upset yet after repelling an epic comeback attempt against holders Slovenia 90-87.

Mateusz Pontica scored 26 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in a historic triple-double to knock out the Dallas Mavericks superstar Luke Doncicand sent Poland into the last four of the tournament for the first time since 1971.

Thomas Todayl and Rudi Gobert played a crucial role in France’s 93-85 win over Italy in extra time.

The Italians, on a high from elimination Nikola Jokić‘Serbia in the round of 16 pushed the Tokyo 2020 Silver medalists all the way, but 20 points from Heurtel and a 19-point, 14-rebound double-double from Gobert were enough to push France forward.

of Germany Dennis Schroeder continued his impressive form and secured Germany’s spot in the semifinals with a 107-96 win over Greece in what turned out to be the highest-scoring fight of the quarterfinals.

Schroder, who has had previous stints in the NBA but is currently unsigned, sent the American League into an upset after accumulating 26 points to stop the Milwaukee Bucks bigman Giannis Antetokounmpo.

After a heroic performance by the New Orleans Pelicans’ willy Hernangomez Spain is also in the semi-finals. The reigning world champion came from 15 points behind and defeated Finland 100-90, with Hernangomez earning 27 points on his comeback.

EuroBasket 2022: Schedule semi-finals and finals

EuroBasket 2022 started with a group stage from September 1st to September 9th with four pools of six teams each. The four best teams from each pool qualified for the round of 16, which took place on November 10th and 11th. took place in September.

The eight winning teams then competed in the quarter-finals, which took place in Berlin on September 13-14.

Next up is the semifinals on September 16th, with the final scheduled for September 18th.

Full schedule (all tip-off times are Central European Summer Time / MESZ, i.e. GMT+2).

Friday 16 September

• Semifinals – Poland – France – 17:15
• Semifinals – Germany vs Spain – 20:30

Sunday 18 September

• 3rd Place Match – TBC vs. TBC – 17:15 CEST
• Finals – TBC vs. TBC – 8:30pm BST.

The NBA stars in the semifinals of EuroBasket 2022

Several big names have already been eliminated, including reigning NBA MVP and Olympic silver medalist Jokic, Mavericks captain Doncic and 2021 NBA champion Antetokounmpo.

Here are the top men to watch in the Final Four.

Rudy Gobert – France

After France took silver in Tokyo 2020 and defeated the United States in the group stage, France are among the favorites for EuroBasket 2022.

They have a handful of NBA players on their roster, led by Rudi Gobert who sent shockwaves through the sport with his blockbuster summer trade against the Minnesota Timberwolves in July.

Gobert was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team for his last six seasons with the Utah Jazz and won NBA Defensive Player of the Year titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Gobert is one of Les Bleus’ most valuable assets.

Combine his prolific defensive skills with his on-court relationship with the New York Knicks man Evan FournierAnother player known for coming alive for the French team, Gobert and France will take some breaks while working towards their 2024 home Olympics.

READ: NBA Star Rudy Gobert Ready for New Adventure With Minnesota Timberwolves: “Change is Exciting

Dennis Schroder – Germany

One of the Germany national team’s most likeable stars, Dennis “The Menace” Schroder has become a fixture over the years.

While he may not be as impressive as some of his NBA rivals across Europe, the 29-year-old point guard has a habit of standing out from the crowd when it comes to national duties.

At the 2017 edition of EuroBasket, Schroder finished with the second-highest average score per game (23.7).

At the 2019 World Cup, he averaged 19.6 points and 9.4 assists, becoming one of only two players to score and assist double-doubles more than once.

Having failed to get past the quarter-finals at EuroBasket since 2005, Schroder has already been pushing Germany to beat that gold.

The question now is, can this German dark horse team go all the way?

Willy Hernangomez – Spain

New Orleans Pelicans willy Hernangomez is a player to watch as world champions Spain vie for European glory.

The 2015 winners are without a Star Guard ricky Rubio as well as petrol brothers with Pau retirement from basketball and Mark Farewell to the national team.

Hernangomez, part of the 2019 world-winning team, will carry more of the load this time around, although his averages of 9.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 50 NBA games last season suggest he’s moving up in this tournament got to.

Ahead of the tournament, he said: “It’s not pressure. It’s a responsibility to take a step forward. The good thing we have is that we’re a unit; I trust them all and they trust me.”

Under this unit is his brother Juancho Hernangomez who plays for the Toronto Raptors.

With three titles in the last five editions, Spain are not a side to be taken lightly.

FIBA EuroBasket: The last five winners from previous editions

• 2017 – Slovenia

• 2015 – Spain

• 2013 – France

• 2011 – Spain

• 2009 – Spain

EuroBasket 2022: How to watch

FIBA EuroBasket 2022 action can be viewed on FIBA’s proprietary streaming service, Courtside 1891.

Some geographic restrictions may apply.