Kings’ Domantas Sabonis, Chimezie Metu, Neemias Queta shine in FIBA World Cup qualifiers
The Kings were well represented in FIBA World Cup qualification games over the past seven days with four players suiting up for their respective countries in international competition.
Domantas Sabonis, Chimezie Metu and Neemias Queta all produced impressive performances for their teams. Alex Len didn’t make as much of a difference for his.
Sabonis led Lithuania to two victories in Group K. He had 17 points, three rebounds and four assists in an 88-78 win over Hungary on Wednesday, finishing 7 of 10 from the field. He posted 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a 90-73 victory over Montenegro on Saturday, going 6 of 8 from the field.
Queta recorded two double-doubles to help Portugal win both of its games in Group F. He had 20 points on 10-of-18 shooting with 10 rebounds and three blocked shots in a 75-59 victory over Romania on Thursday. He had 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting with 13 rebounds and three assists in a 102-69 win over Cyprus on Sunday.
Nigeria went 1-2 in Group E despite some big games from Metu, who also posted two double-doubles. Metu had 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 78-66 loss to Ivory Coast on Friday; 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists in an 89-70 victory over Guinea on Saturday; and 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 70-67 loss to Angola on Sunday. Metu didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, going 13 of 30 from the field and 8 of 22 from 3-point range.
Len was relatively quiet in two losses for Ukraine. He had eight points, two rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot in a 97-89 loss to Italy on Wednesday. He had four points, two rebounds, three blocked shots and one steal in a 91-88 loss to Iceland on Saturday.
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
