Overview

• The Greek Basketball Federation and coach Vassilis Spanoulis confirmed Antetokounmpo will sit against Cyprus for load management, not due to injury.
• Greece is navigating a compressed group stage with five games in eight days, and the staff is preserving its star for tougher opponents such as Georgia.
• Antetokounmpo opened the tournament with 31 points and seven rebounds in a 75–66 win over Italy in Limassol.
• With Antetokounmpo out, Spanoulis is expected to lean on Kostas Sloukas, Tyler Dorsey, Kostas Papanikolaou and Alexandros Samodurov for larger roles.
• Pre-tournament insurance and club-clearance issues that limited his August exhibitions were resolved in time for him to join Greece’s final preparations, with Bucks coach Doc Rivers observing the opener courtside.