Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo Set for Slovenia-Greece Duel in Olympic Qualifier

NBA superstars Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo will face off for the first time as members of their respective national teams at the Olympic qualifier in Greece.

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PIREAUS, Greece — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic and Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo have yet to face off outside of the nine times they've played in the NBA. On Saturday at Peace and Friendship Stadium, they'll be wearing their national team jerseys with a potential chance to qualify for the Olympics on the line at the qualifier tournament.

Doncic and Slovenia seek to continue a journey to qualify for the Olympics for the second consecutive time, which would be the first time in the program's history. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo hopes to guide Greece to a first Olympic bid since 2008.

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The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the final to play the winner of Croatia and Dominican Republic on Sunday to determine which team advances out of the Piraeus tournament.

Antetokounmpo has averaged 33.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in nine games against Doncic in their NBA encounters, while Doncic has averaged 29.9 points, 11.3 assists, and 8.3 rebounds. Doncic has a 2-7 record against the two-time MVP.

READ MORE: Doncic's 36-Point Triple-Double Guides Slovenia Over New Zealand

Doncic's Mavs squad last faced the Bucks on Feb. 3, and they won 129-117. Antetokounmpo and Doncic each scored 40 points, with Antetokounmpo scoring 48 while Doncic had 40.

Slovenia opened the Olympic qualifier with a loss against Croatia, requiring them to defeat New Zealand by at least a 10-point margin to advance and a 29-point margin to achieve a first-place finish in Group A.

Doncic's squad defeated New Zealand 104-78 on Thursday. He recorded 36 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking his second triple-double of the tournament. The team had a chance to hit the 29-point margin of victory on the final possession but missed two three-pointers, with Doncic taking the last one.

READ MORE: Doncic's 26-Point Triple-Double Not Enough in Slovenia's Loss vs. Croatia

Antetokounmpo did not have to play on Thursday after defeating Dominican Republic with a final score of 109-82 on Wednesday, so he rested on Thursday against Egypt. Antetokounmpo totaled 32 points, two rebounds, and one assist in only 18 minutes during his one and only performance of the tournament.

Tipoff time is set for 9:30 a.m. Central time, for fans in Dallas seeking to watch. The game can be viewed with a subscription on the Courtside 1891 app.

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