Lakers' Luka Doncic Makes History, Wows Fans in Slovenia's EuroBasket Win vs. Belgium
Slovenia earned an important 86-69 win over Belgium in the group stage of the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket, with star Luka Dončić rising to the occasion.
After dropping its first two games of the tournament, Slovenia could ill afford another defeat if it hoped to advance to the knockout stage.
Dončić understood the stakes as he finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. He became the fourth player with a triple-double in a EuroBasket game.
Despite the early morning tipoff in the United States, plenty of basketball fans were following the exploits of the five-time NBA All-Star:
Slovenia led for most of the contest and was up by as many as 21 points midway through the fourth quarter. Aleksander Sekulić's squad was particularly dominant inside, finishing with a 40-18 edge in points in the paint.
Klemen Prepelič (12 points) was the only other Slovenian player to score in double figures. He dished out five assists as well.
Slovenia plays Iceland on Tuesday and closes out the group against Israel on Thursday. Having climbed into the top four in Group D, the country's outlook is far better at the end of Sunday than it was coming in.
Dončić will need more support if he and his compatriots want to make a deep run in the EuroBasket, but Luka's one-man show might be enough to earn a spot in the round of 16.
