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Another day of Eurobasket 2015 action is in the books, and it was a good day for a future Wizard, but not so much for the one already on the team.
Satoransky guides Czech Republic to key win over Belgium
The Czech Republic picked up a big 66-64 win over Belgium in Group D play thanks in large part to Satoransky, who put the game away in the final minute with this big three:
He finished with 14 points on 5-10 shooting and had 9 assists in the win. If nothing else, Satoransky continues to show he's handling European competition very well. We won't know how he fares in the NBA until he's here, but he's done an excellent job of closing the holes in his game since the Wizards drafted him in 2012.
The Czech Republic can win their group if they beat Lithuania on Thursday. If they do indeed finish on top, they'll face the fourth-best team from Group C in the Round of 16, which will likely be either the Netherlands or Macedonia. If they don't get the top seed, they'll face a more difficult challenge against the third-best team, likely Slovenia or Croatia.
Gortat scores 11 as Poland falls to Israel
Israel (38th) is ranked slightly ahead of Poland (42nd) in the FIBA World Rankings, so it shouldn't come that Poland lost a close one today, 75-73. But after playing so well France, Russia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, it's hard to avoid the feeling today's loss is slightly disappointing. Marcin Gortat certainly seemed a bit upset on Twitter after the game:
Sorry Polska .....
— Marcin Gortat (@MGortat) September 9, 2015
He had a bit of a rough outing, scoring 11 points and committing five turnovers. On the Wizards, he can survive a performance like that, but it's difficult with the Polish national team when they rely so much on his output.
The good news is Poland is guaranteed a spot in the Round of 16, despite the loss. They close group play on Thursday against Finland, also 2-2 so far in group play. Tomorrow's winner will claim the third spot in the group and face the second-best team from Group B (either Italy, Spain or Turkey). The loser will finish fourth and face the top team from Group B (Serbia) in the Round of 16.
For a recap of all the day's action at Eurobasket, check out SB Nation NBA.