PIRAEUS (Greece) - Another day, another Luka Doncic masterpiece. Slovenia got another triple-double from their talismanic leader and defeated New Zealand 104-78, just short of the 29-point mark that would have meant they win Group A.
Instead, they finish ahead of New Zealand, but behind Croatia in the final standings of the group at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Greece.
Turning point
Coach Aleksander Sekulic had talked about Slovenia's lack of energy at the start of their game against Croatia, and his team obviously resolved the issue. They opened up on Thursday on a 12-2 run, getting to the much-needed 10-point advantage already in the first quarter.
But New Zealand found a big response in the second quarter, pouring in 30 points in that stanza, and they kept going early in the second half, as they closed the gap to 49-43.
To no one's surprise, Slovenia looked to Luka Doncic. The superstar combined with Gregor Hrovat to create a 13-0 run and the Slovenes tool a 62-43 lead midway through the third quarter.
Once Doncic hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to push the lead to 77-57 at the end of the third quarter, the last ten minutes saw the two teams hunting, or defending, the 29-point difference.
New Zealand tried to get it below ten to advance to the Semi-Finals, Slovenia tried to get to +29 to steal first place from Croatia, but they both failed in their missions. That means Croatia advance as the first seed, while Slovenia join them in the Semi-Finals from the second spot.
TCL Player of the Game
Luka Doncic. Another fabulous game by the architect of Slovenian offense, he had 10 points already in the first quarter, outscoring the entire New Zealand team (9).
He finished with 36 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, collecting his third straight triple-double in FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament history, since he had one in the Final in 2021, and another one against Croatia earlier in this tournament.
Stats don't lie
Slovenia kept their composure beautifully on the offensive end, turning the ball over just three times across the first 33 minutes of the game. New Zealand committed 15 turnovers, not a dramatic number in a vacuum, but in a game like this, it allowed Slovenia to get a 23-9 edge in points off turnovers.
Bottom line
New Zealand can be proud of their effort in Piraeus, but they ran into the same problem that Croatia encountered against them. The fatigue kicked in, the legs were getting more and more tired while Doncic kept putting the pressure on their defense.
Shea Ili had 28 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort.
Slovenia have done the first part of the plan by advancing to the Semi-Finals, but it is likely it could be Greece on the other side of the floor on Saturday, depending on the results in Group B.
With all the Luka brilliance, his teammates deserve honorable mentions. Gregor Hrovat finished with 14 points, Josh Nebo dunked his way to 20 with 12 rebounds, while Miha Cerkvenik came up big in the final quarter with 8 points.
They said
FIBA