Neemias Queta lifts Portugal to first EuroBasket win in 18 years

Lisbon: It was a bright Sunday in Spain on September 9, 2007, when a young Neemias Queta – only eight years old at the time – watched his fellow countrymen claim a hard-fought 94-85 victory over Israel in the Second Round of FIBA EuroBasket 2007.

Back then, no one could have imagined that Portugal’s next triumph on this stage would take nearly two decades to arrive – or that the boy watching would one day be the one to deliver it.

On Wednesday night in Latvia, the wait was finally over. Portugal broke their long EuroBasket drought, defeating Czechia 62-50 in their Group A opener, thanks to a historic performance from Queta.

Portugal jumped out of the gate with a 7-0 run, immediately putting Czechia on the back foot. Still, the game remained within reach until midway through the third quarter, when Rafael Lisboa delivered two daggers from beyond the arc on back-to-back possessions. His triples stretched Portugal’s advantage to 40-30, creating the breathing room they needed.

From there, Czechia never truly threatened, as their struggles on offense left them stuck below 50 points—an invitation for Portugal to close the game with composure.

When the pressure is high, some players hesitate. Neemias Queta thrived.

The Boston Celtics center wasted no time imposing himself, dominating the first half with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks—a full stat line for most players, but just the beginning for him.

By the final buzzer, Queta had put together one of the best EuroBasket debuts in recent memory: 23 points, 18 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals, and a monster efficiency rating of 39.

In doing so, he became the first player in EuroBasket history (since FIBA began tracking rebounds) to record at least 20 points and 15 boards in their debut.

With Nikola Jokic, Alperen Sengun, and Kristaps Porzingis looming in Group A matchups, Queta’s performance set the stage for some mouth-watering battles in the paint.

Coach Mario Gomes demanded intensity, and his squad delivered. Portugal’s defensive energy rattled Czechia, who committed 19 turnovers. Portugal cashed those mistakes in for an 11-3 advantage in fast-break points and a 21-10 margin in points off turnovers.

The formula was simple: clamp down defensively, let Queta control the interior, and punish Czechia’s mistakes.

With this victory, Portugal not only ended an 18-year wait but also announced themselves as a team to watch. They’ll rest Thursday before a difficult back-to-back slate against Serbia and Türkiye, while Czechia looks to regroup against Türkiye and Estonia.

For Czechia, Vit Krejci’s 10 points were a bright spot, but their offense needs a major spark if they hope to avoid another setback.

“It’s a big win for Portugal, we surprised everyone a bit, but now we have to keep working because now people are going to be looking at us differently. So let’s stay humble, it’s only one win. We know what we’re gonna do, let’s try to keep improving, do better things for the next game.” – Miguel Queiroz, Portugal

“We missed some shots early and had 3 fast break points, against a team with Queta down there, it’s really hard to play 5v5 when he’s in the paint. It’s a learning curve.” – Vit Krejci, Czechia

“I know he had like 23, but we still didn’t give him the ball enough. I think if we were to give him the ball like six more possessions, he’d have 37 points or something. He’s a big time player, EuroBasket is the perfect place for him to show his talent and sometimes it doesn’t get recognized in the NBA, but he’s playing great, that’s our guy, we wanna go through him.” – Travante Williams, Portugal, on Neemias Queta