Mavs’ Luka Doncic Electric in Slovenia Blowout Win Over Georgia
OKINAWA, Japan — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic led Slovenia to a second win to begin the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup by defeating Georgia on Monday. After breaking the game open in the second half, Slovenia won 88-67. Doncic finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
"Going to the game, we knew what kind of team we face because we have a huge respect for them," Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic said of Georgia. "We prepared for this game very well and the players executed the game plan almost perfectly. They fought everybody, each player who came on the court put his heart on the court playing unselfish basketball."
"Playing together, and this is the most important thing for me, that we stay together," Sekulic continued. "We play together, and then we can beat teams like Georgia. I think this is a good thing."
Slovenia jumped out to a 12-2 lead as of the 4:53 mark of the opening period. Doncic scored the team's first 10 points, then recorded an assist on a transition spray-ahead pass. Slovenia has shrunk the floor defensively very effectively in the half-court to force turnovers. With Georgia being limited on perimeter shooting threats, Slovenia's defensive approach proved effective.
"We had each other's backs, ran, closed the space under the hoop and in the end, recorded a convincing victory" Zoran Dragic said. "With this kind of defense, we can beat many others, but it is also a fact that we still have certain reserves, especially in a faster game, with which we could score a few more easy baskets."
Georgia rallied back and ultimately overtook the lead using a made 3-pointer from Alexander Mamukelashvili, ending the period with a 17-16 advantage. Doncic had recorded 12 points and two assists. With a physical matchup, He was sent to the line often, shooting 8-11 on free throws to this point.
Doncic went to Slovenia's sideline with a 29-28 lead at the 6:22 mark of the second quarter. A strong stretch from Klemen Prepelic extended Slovenia's advantage with him drawing a foul on a 3-point attempt, and Georgia's coach getting called for a technical foul. He made all four free throws, then came down for a made 3 on the next possession. Slovenia extended its lead to 40-32 as the opening half had begun to wind down.
Doncic checked back into the game with Slovenia having extended the lead by seven compared to when he first checked out for rest. They went to work quickly to extend the advantage, with Doncic finding Mike Tobey in the paint after passing out of what step-back 3, then driving the lane for and-one on the following possession. Slovenia achieved a game-high 13-point edge and went into the half leading 45-33.
Georgia scored the initial seven points out of the break, but Slovenia withstood the initial run. A common defensive approach by Georgia was to simply switch against ball screening actions when the situation called for it. Goga Bitadze guarded Doncic for a handful of possessions and did get a few stops.
Doncic adjusted by attacking a mismatch out of the post for a few plays for turnaround jumpers. However, a made 3-pointer by Prepelic extended the lead to 13 with 2:38 left in the third quarter. Slovenia managed to sustain a double-figure advantage for the remainder of the period, leading 63-50 to begin the fourth quarter thanks to a buzzer-beater 3 from Gregor Hrovat. Doncic already racked up 29 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
"Luka took matters into his own hands, especially when they were switching on him," Sekulic said of Doncic. "He felt that he could play against their bigs, so we took advantage of this. The most important thing in this situation is that all five players were on the same page helping Luka, and in the end, they were getting open shots because of him."
"With Luka, what we have is this versatility," Sekulic explained. "We can attack different defensive setups and alignments, and that's how we try to attack each team. We try to read what they do and to attack their weaknesses."
There was an emphasis from Georgia to pressure Doncic by trying to double at times, but largely by trying to shrink the floor to protect the paint on drives. Doncic and Slovenia's offense picked it apart by being unselfish with passing to the open man and received timely shotmaking from 3 to capitalize.
After Slovenia had begun to exploit Georgia's defensive approach to load up on Doncic, there was a reversion back to a more straight up strategy on switches. Doncic took advantage of that by breaking down Bitadze in space to setup a step-back 3 that he knocked down, extending Slovenia's lead to a new game-high 22 points. The game had reached the point of no return for Georgia as the team never came within single-digits again.
Slovenia's next match comes against Cape Verde on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at Okinawa Arena. The game will conclude competition against Group F.
Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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