Israel defeated France 82-69 in the group stage of the EuroBasket 2025 men’s basketball championship in Katowice, Poland, on Sunday night, in a historic night for the blue-and-white team.

At one point in the first half, Israel trailed the previously unbeaten France by 10 points. But the Israeli side held their opponents to 13 fourth-quarter points and scored 11 straight points with three minutes to go.

The thrilling victory, which was led by Portland Trail Blazers power forward Deni Avdija’s decisive play and was Israel’s first win over France since 1997, puts both teams at 2-1 in the Group D standings.

The 24-year-old Israeli-Serbian finished with a team high 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals.

“Everybody contributed today with the defensive game plan, with the aggressiveness, and the

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