Bulgaria must face Germany in a crucial FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers game without Sasha Vezenkov and Codi Miller-McIntyre, who are unavailable after not getting permission from their EuroLeague clubs.
After a huge overtime victory against Sweden on Thursday night, Bulgaria faces a critical challenge in their FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers and will have to compete without two of their star players in the last game.
Bulgaria
Sweden
GermanySasha Vezenkov and Codi Miller-McIntyre will not be available for the do-or-die match against Germany on Sunday, as their clubs, Olympiacos Piraeus and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, respectively, did not grant permission for them to play, according to the Bulgarian federation.
In their absence, naturalized guard Dee Bost and guard Iliyan Pishtikov have been called up as replacements for this crucial game.
Vezenkov had an outstanding performance in Bulgaria's win over Sweden, scoring 40 points and grabbing 18 rebounds over 43 minutes in his return to the national team after a two-year hiatus.
Miller-McIntyre added five points, nine assists, and five rebounds in more than 40 minutes on the court.
Bulgaria will visit Germany on February 23, needing a victory against the reigning world champions to secure their spot in FIBA EuroBasket 2025.
Group D
| # | Team | GM | W | L | PPG | PPG A | Diff | STR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 5 | 3 | 2 | 78.8 | 67.6 | 56 | +2 |
| 2 | | 5 | 3 | 2 | 81.4 | 79.6 | 9 | -1 |
| 3 | | 5 | 2 | 3 | 73.0 | 79.6 | -33 | -2 |
| 4 | | 5 | 2 | 3 | 73.2 | 79.6 | -32 | +1 |
