SHOCKER: Poland Eliminates Luka Doncic, Slovenia in EuroBasket Quarterfinals

Luka Doncic's Slovenia squad was eliminated by Poland in EuroBasket 2022 play.

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic could not lead Slovenia to a win over Poland in EuroBasket 2022 play. Despite being a 13.5-point favorite heading into the game, Slovenia suffered a shocking 90-87 loss, resulting in their elimination.

An early deficit proved to be too much for Slovenia to overcome. Both teams kept things close at the very start as Poland held just a three-point edge through one quarter. However, things quickly unraveled for Doncic's squad in the second period. 

Slovenia had trailed 58-39 at halftime after scoring just 13 points in the second period. Poland made more 3-pointers (five) during this frame than Slovenia had made field goals (four). 

There was a true pendulum swing in Slovenia's favor after the break as they outscored Poland by a 24-6 margin during the third quarter. Poland was held to just 1-13 (7.7 percent) shooting overall in the third quarter.

It was far from a typical performance from Doncic. He was noticeably hobbled at times and appeared to have been dealing with wrist problems. He finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, but struggled with his efficiency. He shot 5-15 (33.3 percent) from the floor and 2-7 (28.6 percent) on 2-point field goals with six turnovers. Missing two clutch free throws and fouling out proved to be too much to overcome.

Poland deployed an aggressive defensive strategy by frequently pre-rotating help and overloading the strong side when Doncic had the basketball. Often there was reliance on players to make a play who simply proved unable, whether it was open jump shots or making a decision after putting the ball on the floor.

Slovenia nearly overcome their limitations using a 21-3 run to narrow things down to 61-60 in the third quarter. They even took a 65-64 lead early in the fourth quarter, but were unable to out-execute Poland down the stretch.

Poland was led by a standout performance from Mateusz Ponitka, who recorded just the fourth triple-double in EuroBasket history. He finished with a game-high 26 points while chipping in 16 rebounds and 10 assists. 

Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and now, Doncic, all have been eliminated from EuroBasket 2022. The final remaining NBA All-Star is Rudy Gobert as France remains in the tournament. 

Doncic will have a quick turnaround before preparation for the 2022-23 NBA season begins. The Mavericks will begin to hold daily practices beginning on Sept. 27. 

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You can follow Grant Afseth on Twitter at @GrantAfseth.

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