Luka Doncic Amazes Fans as Slovenia Beats Israel to Advance to EuroBasket Bracket
Luka Dončić's dominant first-half display propelled Slovenia to a 106-96 win over Israel in their final EuroBasket group play game on Thursday at Spodek in Katowice, Poland.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar amassed 24 points, six rebounds and six assists in the first 20 minutes en route to 37 points, 11 boards, nine dimes and three steals for the game. Impressively, the 26-year-old finished strong despite finding himself in foul trouble with four personals by the middle of the third quarter.
Slovenia led 56-43 at the half, but Israel hung tough and chipped away at the lead, cutting it down to 83-78 in the fourth quarter.
Doncic spurred a 5-0 run in response, though, first with a bucket and then an assist on a Rok Radović three-pointer.
Israel responded with a quick 5-0 run, but Dončić hit a three to kick-start Slovenia's 8-0 spurt for a 96-83 lead.
Slovenia never led by fewer than nine points from there, in part because Dončić hit a dagger three late for a 101-87 edge with 2:22 remaining in regulation.
Doncic is the tournament's leading scorer, averaging 32.4 points per game. He's also posted 8.4 assists and 8.0 boards on average.
Needless to say, it's been a sensational run for him. Fans and analysts alike recognized his sensational work.
Slovenia also held off a tremendous effort from Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who led Israel with 34 points (19 in the first half), shooting 12-of-22 from the field overall while adding nine rebounds.
Dončić and the Slovenian national team earned third place in the six-team Group D, and that's good enough to advance the squad to the 16-team knockout round in Latvia.
On Sunday, Slovenia will play Italy, which finished as the runner-up in Group C. Israel, which also advanced to the knockout round by finishing fourth in Group D, will take on Group C-winning Greece.
