Slovenia capture first-ever Olympic win behind Doncic's near record-breaking performance / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AP-Scanpix Credit AP-Scanpix

Led by an incredible Luka Doncic, who scored 48 points, Slovenia (1-0) registered their first Olympic win as an independent nation, celebrating their 30th birthday as a country, by downing Argentina (0-1) 100-118 (24-32, 18-30, 24-26, 34-30) at the Saitama Arena in Japan.

Player of the Game EFF 46 Luka Doncic Points 48 Accuracy 18-29 Rebounds 11 Assists 5

The Mavs superstar was on pace to break the Olympic record for points in a single game standing at 55 points and owned by Oscar Schmidt since 1988. Australia's Eddie Palubinskas had his 48 points against Mexico back in 1976 and the 22-year-old tied that number. Doncic came close to the top, but it definitely looked like the best was yet to come for him and the 2017 EuroBasket winners. He also had 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks against a dismantled Argentine defense. Klemen Prepelic scored 22, Vlatko Cancar added 12, while Mike Tobey finished on a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Scola (23 points), Campazzo (20 points), and Deck (17 points) tried to keep their team afloat, but they were helpless. The 2019 World Cup finalists need a win against Spain to keep their Olympic hopes alive.

The game got off on the right foot for Slovenia, who took advantage of the fast pace and scored a lot on the open court. Luka Doncic (17 pts) and Luis Scola (6 pts) were trading blows at the beginning when the Balcan country was up 21-13. Jaka Blazic and Klemen Prepelic hit successive 3-pointers to make it 24-35 for them.

Cementing a double-digit lead looked like the natural course of things for the Olympic newcomers, but Campazzo didn't lose his grip. Argentina stayed close enough (29-35) for the most part of the second quarter, although Sergio Hernandez's men were dealing with severe problems on one-on-one defense. Doncic went strong on the offensive rebounds and, since the Latin Americans couldn't react, they were receiving one blow after the other. Slovenia went up 36-53 with two minutes left before the break. It was all downhill from there for Argentina. Luka hit a trey from the elbow to make it 40-62, increasing his personal stat line to 31 points on 11 of 18 from the field, plus 8 rebounds for a PIR of 35!

Slovenia / Schedule

Argentina Slovenia100-118 Slovenia JapanThu04:40 Spain SloveniaSun08:20

At the same time, the 2004 gold medalists were unable to respond from behind the arc, going 2 for 20 during the first 22 minutes. Scola couldn't get the best out of his low-post game, repeatedly missing from mid-range, while Campazzo was forced to several hero-ball attempts to no avail. On the other end, Doncic was responsible for almost every single basket that Mike Tobey scored, either with a behind-the-back pass or by simply throwing the ball up in the air.

The third quarter turned instantly into an exhibition game for Slovenia. The margin rose to 30 points (52-82), allowing Sekulic to use some of his second-unit players. Argentina came a bit closer (66-88), but this version of the team seemed to be running out of steam quite easily. The questions raised in the last quarter were whether Luka was going to beat the Olympic record, record a triple-double, or both. In any case, Sekulic kept him on the court for as much as possible, probably because points could matter in a tiebreaker.

Eventually, Argentina made it to 100 points, cutting down the Slovenian lead to just 18 at the buzzer (100-118). Doncic poured in 48 points, Oscar Schmidt's record still stands, but it seemed threatened more than ever before.

Argentina: Scola 23, Campazzo 20, Deck 17, Vildoza 11, Laprovittola 8, Brussino 5, Vaulet 4, Garino 2, Delia 2.

Slovenia: Doncic 48, Prepelic 22, Cancar 12, Tobey 11, Dragic 7, Dimec 5, Rupnik 4, Muric 3, Blazic 3, Nikolic 3.

UP NEXT:

Slovenia will face Olympic hosts Japan on Thursday (07:40 EEST).

Argentina will try to get their first win on Thursday against Spain (15:00 EEST).

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