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The Czech Republic lost to Hungary on Monday in Group C play of EuroBasket 2017, 85-73. Hungary’s star, Adam Hanga, scored 31 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished 8 assists in a game where the Hungarians hit the gas and never let go. The Czechs were never in this game from the beginning, letting Hungary win their first EuroBasket group game since 1969. To put things in perspective, Richard Nixon was the President of the United States, and the Wizards were playing in Baltimore as the Bullets the last time Hungary won.
Throughout this tournament, we were also interested to see how Tomas Satoransky played. He scored 18 points on 7 of 14 shooting and also made two of three three pointers. Satoransky also grabbed 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the loss. In addition to Satoransky, three other Czech players scored in double figures, but Hanga’s big performance proved to be just a bit too much today.
Where is the Czech Republic now?
In Group C, the Czechs are tied in the standings with Hungary with identical 1-2 records. Assuming Montenegro also ends up with a 1-2 record if they lose to Croatia later Monday, the Czechs’ game against the Montengrins tomorrow at 8 a.m. ET is effectively a must-win game. That’s because Croatia and Spain are undefeated as of today and it’s going to be tough to see this squad beat the Croatians without some of their other stars, like former Wizards player Jan Vesely.