Tony Parker scored 31 points and dished seven assists in leading France to a 89-78 win over Latvia in opening round action of EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania. The top two finishers at Euro '11 win bids to the 2012 Olympics in London. Les Bleus have not qualified for an Olympic tournament since Parker joined the senior team.
EuroBasket 2011 Scores: Tony Parker Leads France Past Latvia, Greece Survives Day 1
Joakim Noah added 10 points and seven rebound. Young Latvia played a strong game and looks like a potential second-round qualifier. Veteran Janis Blums, who plays professionally in Spain, paced Latvia with 32 points on 12-18 shooting. Davis Bertans, who was drafted by Parker's Spurs in June's NBA Draft, scored nine for Latvia.
In other opening day action, Greece held off Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group C. Nick Calathes, who played for the University of Florida and is in the Mavericks' pipeline, scored 13 points and added seven rebounds. Kosta Koufos of the Nuggets had 10 points and 10 rebounds. B&H's best player, Mirza Teletovic, shot 0-9 on three-pointers in the loss.
In Group A action, Turkey pounded Portugal 79-56 as Jazz rookie Enes Kanter surprised with 14 points and seven rebounds. Slovenia held off Bulgaria in Group D by the score 67-59 in a tight match. Erazem Lorbek gave Slovenia the lead on a three-point play with two minutes left, and the team held Bulgaria scoreless the rest of the way. Lorbek finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Goran Dragic had 13 points, six assists and six rebounds.
See More:
