Portugal go into today's clash against Croatia licking their wounds following a sound beating by EuroBasket hosts and world champions Spain.
Trailing 16-13 late in the first quarter, Valentyn Melnychuk’s men went ice cold and the Spanish reeled off 16 straight points to all but secure victory half-way through the second quarter.
“We can play better than this game,” said Melnychuk, the Portugal coach.
The Portuguese got out of their rhythm on offense and ended up shooting nine of 28 (32%) from the floor.
Defensively, they were lost as well.
Sergio Ramos, the veteran forward, said: “We have to be positive. We knew it was going to be a difficult game against the world champions.”
Croatia’s players did not show up for breakfast with smiles on their faces either after losing to Latvia in their first game.
“Tomorrow, we will come out more concentrated and aggressive, and I hope we will win the
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| Jorge Coelho needs a solid game against Croatia | ||||
Last time out: Portugal lost to Spain, 82-56; Croatia fell to Latvia, 85-77.
Key matchup: Guard Filipe da Silva must be the floor general his team will desperately need against the excellent backcourt led by Croatia’s Zoran Planinic
Statistics: Croatia must improve on their shooting from long range where they hit just 25% (eight of 32) against Latvia. More importantly, perhaps, they need to cut down on some of those three-point attempts and work the ball inside.
X-Factor: Roko-Leni Ukic doesn’t start but, like Marko Popovic, he brings a spark off the bench and nearly got Croatia back against Latvia. Ukic was four of seven (57%) from the floor, including one of two (50%) from three-point range.
What It Means: If Croatia lose to Portugal, their medal hopes are almost certainly dead with just one more Group B game left and that against world champions Spain.
Speaking Out: “Tomorrow (Tuesday), we have to play against Croatia. We have to have a better game, with good offensive decisions, good decision on defense” - Portugal coach Melnychuk.
