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The NBA season is still over a month away, but fans of the Dallas Mavericks have to be excited by Luka Doncic’s performance in the EuroBasket tournament.
Doncic scored 47 points to lead Slovenia to an 88-82 win over Rudy Gobert and France. This was the second-most points scored in the tournament’s history, trailing only Eddy Terrace’s 63-point performance for Belgium in 1957.
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Doncic got things started early with 27 first-half points, but France stuck around, tying the score up heading into the fourth quarter. Slovenia eventually pulled away in the fourth quarter, winning by six points, despite Gobert’s 19-point performance.
In addition to his record-setting offensive performance, Doncic added seven rebounds and five assists on the day.
The two All-Stars were each assisted by fellow NBA stars. Goran Dragic contributed 14 points and four assists for Slovenia, while France’s Evan Fournier recorded 15 points of his own.
While Doncic undoubtedly won the day, Gobert did provide the most awe-worthy moment, posterizing his fellow NBA All-Star in the process.
With the Wednesday win, Slovenia secured its position as the top team out of Group B with nine points. Their lone loss came to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Meanwhile, France finished in second place with eight points. Germany and Lithuania are the two other teams to advance to the Round of 16 from Group B.
Historically, EuroBasket took place every two years. In 2017, the last time the tournament had been held, FIBA Europe agreed to transition to a four-year rotation with the intention to reconvene in 2021. The tournament was postponed until 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Slovenia entered as the defending champions, having won its first title in 2017. Dragic scored 35 points to lead the way in the championship game, while Doncic -- a full year before he made his NBA debut -- added eight points.
The team remains in a good position to make a run at the title again. Their next game will be Saturday in bracket play against Belgium.