Luka magic strikes again in Ljubljana; Serbia get first win in Aegean Acropolis

MIES (Switzerland) - Slovenia and Serbia both claim wins in an exciting double-header Tuesday in tuneup games in preparation for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 for both teams. (main image, Kosarkarska Zveza Slovenije website)

We'll take a look here at how both games went, don't forget to stay tuned to all of the exhibition game action leading up to the main event in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia in less than 20 days!

Luka Magic strikes again in Ljubljana 

Less than a week ago, fans at Arena Stocize in Ljubljana, Slovenia witnessed the return of Luka magic as Doncic made his return to play in a national team jersey with a triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists. However, Slovenia ended up losing that game to Greece.

On August 8, Doncic and Slovenia returned to a sold-out crowd in Arena Stocize where not only did Doncic record yet another triple-double but was also able to capture a win with the team, 104-100.

 

Doncic, who already had 21 points at halftime, ended the game with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists. The Slovenian star was also the key catalyst in creating the cap late in the fourth quarter as the score was tied at 90 with less than 3 minutes to go by scoring and assisting all of the points in a 7-2 run.

 

Klemen Prepelic added 17 points for Slovenia, who was also able to celebrate having Mike Tobey back in the lineup for this game.

 

For the visiting Montenegro side, Vladimir Mihailovic scored 26 points, Dino Radoncic added 21 points, and star center Nikola Vucevic had a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds.

 

Serbia strikes first in Athens

The opening game of the 32nd Aegean Acropolis Tournament turned out to be as competitive as expected with Serbia coming out on top over hosts Greece, 71-64.

 

While Serbia managed to build up a lead to as big as 15 points early in the first half, the home team put their spirit on display and even managed to tie things up in the final quarter at 59-59. 

 Serbia were able to respond with a three-pointer from their star and Serbia's all-time World Cup scorer Bogdan Bogdanovic which silenced the crowd and lifted the team to victory.

Not only did Bogdanovic put points on the board (15), he also added 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Serbia also got 14 points each from Nikola Milutinov (12 rebounds, 4 assists) and Marko Guduric (7 rebounds, 3 assists).

Greece were led in scoring by Nikolaos Rogkavopoulos who had 19 points. They also saw Thomas Walkup dish out 10 assists, though he was kept scoreless in this game.

Upcoming

 The week will continue to be filled with exhibition-game action, especially in the 32nd Aegean Acropolis Tournament where all games can be streamed live on Courtside 1891 with the Max Pass or World Cup Bundle.

Italy will face Serbia on August 9 and will then face Greece on August 10.

Another exciting set of games will be played in Spain to celebrate the 100th anniversary Federacion Espanola de Baloncesto. The teams in action will be Spain, USA, and Slovenia from August 11-13.

Basketball giants will also collide in Hamburg at the Basketball SuperCup. Host Germany will face China and Canada will face New Zealand on August 12. The winners will then face each other on August 13 for the Final, while the defeated squads will settle for a chance at third place.

Australia will also play their first official tuneup games against World Cup bound national teams as they tip-off the "Boomers vs the World" event on August 14 in Melbourne. The other teams involved are Venezuela, Brazil, and South Sudan.

There are many more games set to take place in this entire week, so make sure to stay updated on all of the preparation plans for all teams with this handy tracker.

 
FIBA