PIRAEUS (Greece) - Things got complicated in Group A on Wednesday as New Zealand went on a 13-2 run in the final 3:46 of their clash with Croatia to prevail 90-86. The European team have now dropped to 1-1 in the Group A standings, however will advance to the Semi-Finals no matter what happens in the final group game between New Zealand and Slovenia, thanks to their +12 point differential.
New Zealand are nonetheless standing tall at 1-0 now, and could win the group with a win over Slovenia on Thursday. If Luka Doncic and co. bounce back and defeat the Tall Blacks, then the points difference will determine the final standings in the group.
Turning point
Croatia left the arena around midnight on Tuesday, and were back at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in what felt like a matter of minutes, playing the afternoon game on Wednesday.
New Zealand tested their tired legs, and stuck around for most of the game thanks to their hot shooting. But, when the game reached the closing minutes, it was up to Corey Webster and Shea Ili to create points off the dribble and tie the game at 86-all with a minute left.
Croatia then dodged not one, but two bullets, as Webster missed a pair of wide open three-pointers from the left corner. However, New Zealand got the ball back after a successful challenge, and the third time was a charm. Shea Ili's reverse layup made it 88-86 with 37 seconds left to play.
Mario Hezonja misfired on a three-pointer which would have restored Croatia in the lead and they sent Izayah Le'afa to the foul line. He remained composed to seal the win for the Tall Blacks from the stripe.
TCL Player of the Game
Shea Ili was named the best defender of the Australian NBL, but his offensive game was off the charts when it mattered the most on Wednesday.
Ili had 18 points, including a couple of clutch drives to finish a 13-2 run in the last four minutes.
Stats don't lie
It was a matter of having the fresh legs. New Zealand used all of their depth, winning the bench points 31-13, a gigantic advantage in such a close game.
Bottom line
New Zealand showed they are a tough team over the last few global competitions, but needed one trademark win to send them to another level. Was this the one? We'll find out on Thursday, because they could still be eliminated in a potential three-way tie at 1-1.
As for Croatia, standing at 1-1 with a positive points difference, they know they cannot finish bottom of the group, and have moved to the Semi-Finals.
Ivica Zubac's monster game of 29 points and 16 rebounds goes to waste, even though he set a new efficiency rating record in a FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament game with 43.
They said
FIBA