Boston Celtics center faces steep odds in historic EuroBasket clash Neemias Queta and Portugal made history on Wednesday by advancing to the EuroBasket knockout stage for the first time ever, following a narrow 68-65 victory over Estonia. Their reward is a daunting round-of-16 matchup against powerhouse Germany.
Portugal will take on Germany, the unbeaten winners of Group B, on Saturday at 8:15 a.m. ET. Germany, led by ex-Celtics Dennis Schroder and Daniel Theis, dominated group play with an average margin of victory of 32.8 points, making them heavy 29.5-point favorites against Portugal’s 2-3 squad. For Portugal to have any chance at an upset, Queta will need a standout performance against Germany’s NBA-loaded roster, which includes Magic forward Franz Wagner. Queta has been Portugal’s leader in scoring (15 points) and rebounding (7.4 per game) during this historic run.
The Celtics center will also be seeking redemption after being ejected in Wednesday’s game versus Estonia due to two controversial technical fouls in the third quarter. Despite his absence, Portugal held on for the win.
Addressing the ejection, Portugal head coach Mario Gomes told EuroHoops:
“Out of respect for the game, players, and coaches, I won’t say much. I’ll only note that it’s very easy to make such a call against a Portuguese player. With 15 minutes left, we didn’t know how things would turn out. I’m a coach, not a magician, but I trusted the team to respond and not give up.”
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