With Doncic and Slovenia’s help, they made it to the final four of the Olympic basketball tournament.
With a victory, Luka Doncic and Slovenia may earn their first Olympic medal in basketball.
When Doncic wears the National team Jersey, he only ever Wins.
In the first game of the men’s quarterfinals on Tuesday, Slovenia defeated Germany 94-70 behind 20 points from Doncic and 11 assists from Igor Kostanjevic.
Zoran Dragic made his first six shots and went on to make 11 of 13 from the field for 27 points, helping Slovenia to a quick start.
Doncic is the team’s (and possibly the tournament’s) breakout player for Slovenia. With the opponents focusing on him, other players get more open looks, and Doncic is more than eager to pass to them.
‘He’s the leader of the team,’ Dragic remarked. It’s easy to play with him because, when he plays, like three men have to guard him, but we know that and we embrace it.
Doncic struggled to get going for Slovenia in the first half of their 10 a.m. local start, but he stepped up in the second half with key scoring and assist contributions that prevented Germany from making a significant damage in Slovenia’s lead.
On Thursday, the Slovenians will face the Unbeaten French in the Semi-Finals.
They have a perfect 17-0 record against Doncic in competition and are hoping to add the Olympic title to their 2017 European crown.
Excellent group of musicians. Superb interplay between you two. Coach Aleksander Sekulic of Slovenia remarked, “There is no ego in the team.” They never show any signs of selfishness, and they always give it their all.
With their 95-87 victory over world champion Spain on Sunday, Slovenia clinched first place in its group and a bye to the semifinals against the United States, France, and Australia.
Doncic and his teammates jumped out to an early lead, but Germany fought back and was within striking distance until early in the second half, when Slovenia drew away for good.
The team has “one of the top players in the world,” but “he’s not alone,” Henrik Roedl, head coach of Germany.
“It’s tough to play this Team since Everyone else Hits.”
Doncic’s rookie year colleague in Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki, helped Germany to its first Olympic appearance since 2008. Doncic’s teammate Maodo Lo led the way with 11 points.
Doncic averaged 28.3 points per game to lead all scorers through the first round of the tournament. For the second game in a row, he came just short of recording the first triple-double by a U.S. Olympic player since LeBron James in 2012.
By taking advantage of their final opportunities, both teams won two of the four Olympic qualifying tournaments staged last month.
Slovenia has Ambitious Plans Beyond Merely Making it.
With Dragic hitting 4-for-4 from the field, Slovenia jumped out to an early 23-12 lead. The first quarter ended with Germany up 25-14, but Lo scored three 3-pointers in the middle of the second to spark a German comeback and give their team a 32-31 lead.
When Dragic hit a 3-pointer for the final basket of the half, Slovenia recovered the lead and went into the locker room up 44-37.
After halftime, Dragic immediately got back to work from deep, extending the advantage back to double digits with a 3-pointer.