Luka Doncic, Slovenia Defeat Cape Verde Despite Shooting Struggles

Mavs superstar Luka Doncic helped lead Slovenia to a win over Cape Verde at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

OKINAWA, Japan — Luka Doncic and Slovenia concluded competition against Group F with a 3-0 record at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, using a 92-77 win against Cape Verde on Wednesday. The Dallas Mavericks superstar finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, and four steals.

"We expected a difficult match, because we knew that the rivals would be very motivated and that they would want to prove once again that they deserve to be at the world championship," Slovenia's Aleksej Nikolic said. "I congratulate them from the bottom of my heart for this achievement and victory against Venezuela. 

"I don't think that our victory was in doubt, because controlled the course of events on the court throughout the match and in the last part finally crushed the resistance of our rival," Nikolic continued.

Doncic entered the contest as the leading scorer of the whole World Cup, averaging 35.5 points per game through his first two performances. However, it wasn't until around 46 seconds remaining in the second quarter that Doncic had recorded a made field goal. It took until the second half for him to convert from beyond the arc. On the night, he shot 5-17 from the floor and 1-8 from deep, but was 8-11 from the free throw line. Regardless, Slovenia led for 37:01 of the 40 minutes, compared to just 1:14 for Cape Verde.

"It was tough because Luka is a tall point guard, so he can see everything on the court," Cape Verde coach Emanuel Tavares said of defending Doncic. "You think you can steal the ball sometimes, but it's tough because he controls every possession on the court."

"It was tough on the screens. If someone comes for help, you have [Doncic passing] to the corner. If you don't help, he'll find something to do," Tavares explained.

Unlike Slovenia's first two matchups of the World Cup, Cape Verde's defense is anchored by a legitimate shot blocking presence in Edy Tavares. Attacking the paint wasn't as simple for Doncic as it had been in other matchup. 

"It was hard, but we did our job, which was trying our best to stop him. I think 19 points for Luka is like 5 points for us. We did our best," Tavares said.

Amid struggles to convert on jump shots and in the paint, Doncic remained aggressive getting to the free throw line and using his elite passing talent to create favorable scoring chances for his teammates. Slovenia still managed to lead 24-21 at the end of the opening period.

FIBA

"My goal was to mentally prepare the players fo rhte match, which we had to win and for which we had to be sufficiently motivated. I didn't quite succeed in this," Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic said. "My composure was not at the level of the competition or the world championship."

Given Doncic's uncharacteristic slow scoring start, creating separation proved challenging for Slovenia for the remainder of the opening half. Regardless, the team held a 45-38 edge at halftime with a 14-point advantage in points off turnovers proving to be an important differentiator.  

Cape Verde had kept it close early in the third quarter, trailing by just three at the 7:05 mark. However, Slovenia had created separation throughout the remainder of the third quarter, leading by as many as 14 points at one point and with a 69-55 advantage entering the final period. 

"In the second half, however, we showed a slightly better game and reliably got two points," Sekulic said. "Now we are waiting for Australia, which is among favorites for a medal, has an athletic team, experience, and as many as nine players from the NBA."

Slovenia led by double-figures for the whole fourth quarter and forced a timeout by Cape Verde at the 6:51 mark after Klemen Prepelic broke free for a layup on a leak out. As the fourth quarter progressed, Slovenia even grew its lead to 24 points midway through. 

As a result of achieving the victory, Slovenia will take on Australia on Friday in a match that features Josh Green, Doncic's Mavs teammate.