Hungary beat Estonia 85 to 67 in their World Cup game on Wednesday. The hosts controlled the tempo from the opening tip, and here's the thing — they never let the visitors back into it. Estonia came in looking to match Hungary's pace, but by then Hungary had already set the rhythm.
The difference came down to efficiency. Hungary landed ten threes from twenty-seven attempts, while Estonia managed eight from twenty-two. More telling was the free throw disparity: seventeen made compared to Estonia's seven, and Hungary avoided the turnovers that cost them recently.
To be fair, Estonia's rebounding was solid — thirty-four to thirty-four on the boards — but they could not convert that into points. Hungary's ten steals and sixteen assists showed they were moving the ball better, cutting Estonia open at will without forcing shots.
Estonia's recent results tell a different story — they've dropped four of their last five, including that heavy 83-61 loss to Italy. Hungary, meanwhile, have won three straight, though that Turkish defeat last November still lingers.
The gap between them now feels like more than just a few points. Hungary are building something, and Estonia are still trying to find where they sit in this tournament.
