Luka Doncic's 26-Point Triple-Double Not Enough in Slovenia's Blowout Loss vs. Croatia

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic recorded a 26-point triple-double for Slovenia, but Croatia comfortably overcame it to achieve a blowout victory.

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PIRAEUS, Greece — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic totaled 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists for the Slovenian national team in a 108-92 loss against Croatia to begin the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament.

"They outplayed us. Our defense wasn't good," Doncic said. "We got to work on our defense, and starting with me, I got to play way better than this, and we got to play with way better energy."

FIBA /

Doncic had a tough shooting night as he went 8 of 23 from the floor and 0 of 9 from beyond the arc but shot 8 of 14 on two-point shots and 10 of 11 on free throws. After the game, he reviewed the box score in disbelief, highlighting his shooting results. "Yeah, I saw my statistics. My shots, my shots, terrible," he said. "So, now I must play way better than this."

Slovenia practically would have needed Doncic to be perfect to overcome Croatia's stellar play. Six players scored in double figures for Croatia, including Goran Filipovic, who led with 21 points, six made three-pointers, and six assists. Dario Saric recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Ivica Zubac added 18 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in only 18 minutes. Mario Hezonja chipped in 12 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. Slovenia was held to shoot just 39.4% from the floor and 23.7% from beyond the arc, well below Croatia's 60.0% field goal percentage and 46.4% three-point percentage.

Doncic connected with Nebo on Slovenia's first game-scoring play with a lob pass leading to a dunk. Zoran Dragic found Nebo for another dunk using a dropoff pass for a second consecutive possession with a dunk. Those were the only made field goals for Slovenia until Doncic converted an and-one with 4:19 left in the period.

It didn't take long to notice Croatia's size advantage in the frontcourt, which proved instrumental in early establishing a 15-5 advantage. The presence Zubac and Saric provided, coupled with hot shooting from the team, especially by Filipovic.

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Zubac had an impressive sequence blocking Doncic's step-back jumper, then ran the floor and scored on the other end. Slovenia trailed 31-16 at the end of the opening period, establishing a significant need to build momentum before halftime.

"I think, the beginning of the match, I went into the match without any energy. It was hard for me to start the match," Doncic said. "I think it's up to me as the leader of the team. I can't afford to make such mistakes. And I also have a lot of experience. It really shouldn't happen. We know that we have a lot more knowledge, a lot more energy, a lot more fighting spirit than that..."

Zubac exploited his advantages in the post on a series of plays that put Croatia up 41-24. He first scored in the post against Doncic and then found Hezonja in the weak-side corner for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer. Doncic began achieving more success attacking downhill, but Croatia's scoring success did not diminish with Saric and Zubac making plays.

Klemen Prepelic converted a much-needed perimeter jumper to make it 50-38, but again, Slovenia's inability to contain the interior with Saric finding a cutter for a finish. Saric scored in the post against Doncic, but Dragic hit a shot in the corner to make it 54-41 at the break.

At halftime, Doncic had 16 points but was shooting 4 of 16 overall, with each of his six attempts from the perimeter missed. Slovenia trailed Croatia 54-41 while shooting 30.6% overall and 11.8% from beyond the arc, compared to 52.5% shooting from the floor and 41.2% perimeter shooting by Croatia. Zubac already totaled 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Saric added 13 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.

"There was no reaction to force them to score easy goals," Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic said. "There was no such thing. We can talk about the fact that the goal didn't come in the first half, but that doesn't have to be the reason for I can still say that we defended very poorly, and that's the one that has to be a big warning and a guide for the next matches we have."

Doncic came out of halftime with a short-range step-back jumper before finding Cancar on a spray-out pass for a corner three. Slovenia trailed by only 10 points, the closest the team had come since the first quarter. Croatia responded with a 7-0 run. However, Doncic ended that run with a one-legged jumper, reaching 20 points on the night.

Croatia used a steal to set up a breakaway dunk for Hezonja, making it a 19-point game midway through the third quarter. Croatia continued to convert from the perimeter at a high clip with back-to-back makes from Filipovic made it a 20-point game.

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With 2:38 remaining in the third quarter, there was a nearly 25-minute stoppage due to a shot clock malfunction. The venue set up a makeshift shot clock on the baseline since the main one on top of the basket never functioned despite efforts to address it.

Croatia was in a rhythm after the lengthy stoppage and closed the third period, holding a 93-68 lead. Given the deficit's significance, Slovenia could not rally back at this game stage. Zubac barely had to play in the second half, either. Croatia led by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter. Despite the lopsided score, Doncic stayed on the floor until 2:37 left to play, given that a point differential is a factor to consider when competing in a FIBA tournament, unlike in the NBA.

Despite coming off a long NBA season with the Mavericks, Doncic appreciates the honor of representing Slovenia and appreciates Dallas for allowing him to do so.

"It's an honor for me to play for my country. Obviously, they're not always, but a lot of times there will be injuries, but I just see a big honor for me to play for my country," Doncic said. "We are two million [people], and to represent this country means everything to me. Especially I want to say thanks to Dallas, you know, they let me play. They never have a problem with this. They always know I'm gonna play, so it's a big honor for me."

Slovenia will face New Zealand on Thursday, and they need to achieve a victory in that game and the rest of the way. Otherwise, there will no longer be a viable path to the Olympics. Sekulic challenged his team to provide a necessary reaction. Otherwise, it'll be time to pack their suitcases and depart for Slovenia.

"There has to be a reaction. If there's no reaction, we'll pack our suitcases and go home. It's simple," Sekulic said. "Well, we need to rest for sure. The competition is, as it is, demanding. On the other hand, we need to prepare in the right way. Prepare the team so that we come out of the game with different energy, especially as a whole team."

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