Andrea Bargnani stars --on offense-- for Italy in Eurobasket loss

Bottom line on Andrea Bargnani in Eurobasket is simple: he was (mostly) healthy and showed off an offense that featured driving dunks and three point shooting, BUT his defense and rebounding were as expected mediocre.

It was all on display Wednesday when the 7'1" Italian center scored 21 points and grabbed five rebounds while allowing Lithuania (and Raptor) big Jonas Valančiūnas to score 26 points and grab 15 rebounds as Lithuania ended Italy's title run in the Eurobasket quarterfinals,  95-85.

Bargnani shot 8-of-21, his worst shooting performance but highest scoring game, wowing fans and writers alike on more than one occasion. But in the battle of the bigs, Valančiūnas boasted a +12 rating while Bargani was a game low -18.

Overall, though, the game and tournament had to be considered an individual success for the new Net. He played seven games despite injuries to his ankle and his calf muscle --a historically troublesome issue for him.  Overall, he averaged 14 points and shooting 52.4 percent overall and nearly 39 percent from three.

The Italian team plays a consolation game Thursday vs. Czech Republic.

• Lithuania Thrill Again, Set Up Date With Impressive Serbs (FIBA) - Eurobasket
  
• Boxscore: Italy - Lithuania - Eurobasket