France set its sights on the World Cup by crushing Slovenia 92-67 in Paris and remaining at the top of the group with a 6-1 record. Victor Wembanyama led the home team with 22 points and 9 rebounds, while Sylvain Francisco, playing 18:13, had 9 points (3/4 two-pointers, 1-for-4 from three-point range, 0-for-1 from the free-throw line), 1 rebound, and 2 assists. Slovenia, which played without Luka Dončić, sits at the bottom of the group with a 3-4 record.
Sweden set the rest of Group L ablaze, winning 86-81 in Helsinki against Finland, thanks to 31 points from Pelle Larsson, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s teammate in Miami. Lauri Markkanen was held to 11 points on 0-for-9 shooting from three-point range for the home team. The two teams are now tied at 4-3 along with Hungary, which crushed Estonia 85-67 behind 22 points from Zoltán Perl.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
In Group K, Poland remained undefeated (7-0) with a 106-86 victory in Riga over Israel, led by Mateusz Ponitka’s 24 points. Germany defeated the Netherlands 99-83 in Cologne and improved to 6-1, with Dennis Schröder scoring 23 points. Isaac Bonga had a strong performance with 13 points (5-for-5 from two-point range, 1-for-3 from three-point range), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 turnover in 23:21. Croatia also improved its record to 6-1 after crushing Latvia 115-80, led by Mario Hezonja’s 28 points.
*photo source: AP
