The NBA may be quiet on the calendar, but plenty of Celtics are still getting run overseas.
The 2027 FIBA EuroBasket World Cup Qualifiers are already rolling, along with the pre-qualifiers for the 2029 World Cup, and Boston has a cluster of players in the mix. Neemias Queta is representing Portugal, Hugo Gonzalez is with Spain, Luka Garza is playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the qualifiers, and Amari Williams is suiting up for Great Britain in the pre-qualifiers.
The first head-to-head Celtics showdown of the August window belonged to Queta and Portugal. Spain had Gonzalez back in action after he appeared earlier in the summer, but this was Queta’s first game of the window, and he made it count. Portugal stunned Spain with a 95-89 win, and Queta was right in the middle of it, finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds, five of them on the offensive glass, and one assist while going 5-of-10 from the field.
Gonzalez’s night was much tougher. He finished with three points, four rebounds, and one assist on 1-of-4 shooting. Still, Spain trusted the 20-year-old enough to give him a team-high 23:27, even if the box score came with a -23.
Portugal’s supporting cast behind Queta included Travante Williams, St. John’s forward Ruben Prey, and Diogo Brito.
Spain, by contrast, rolled out a roster loaded with NBA names and former NBA players, including Juancho Hernangomez, Willy Hernangomez, Aday Mara, and Baba Miller. That made Portugal’s upset stand out even more.
Garza also had a productive outing, helping Bosnia and Herzegovina edge Italy 78-76 while coming off the bench. He scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and collected two offensive boards, shooting 4-of-8 from the field.
Bosnia got a huge night from Jusuf Nurkic, who powered the win with 25 points, 14 rebounds, including six offensive rebounds, and two assists against Simone Fontecchio and Nico Mannion’s Italy.
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Joe Mazzulla Just Framed The Celtics Season In A Telling Way
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Mazzulla recently spoke about how he hopes to be remembered in the Boston sports landscape, and the timing of that thought fits the moment. He is still carrying the residue of last seasons first-round playoff exit, yet now he has to make this new version of the Celtics work fast enough to match the expectations that come with coaching in Boston. [Read more 🡒]