The Slovenian national team officially began group play on Thursday against Poland. While Slovenia boasts Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic, Poland doesn’t have a single current or former NBA player, and thus many felt Slovenia would win.
However, Slovenia lost 105-95, as it had major problems on the defensive end of the floor. Poland shot 58.6% from the field and was 14-of-26 from 3-point range, and after it led 47-46 at halftime, it outscored Slovenia by 10 points in the third quarter to take control.
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However, it was an outstanding outing for Doncic. He shot 7-of-14 overall and made all but one of his 18 free throws to score 34 points, to go along with nine assists, four rebounds, five steals and two blocks.
Slovenia’s next game will be on Saturday, Aug. 30, when it takes on France. You can see the team’s entire EuroBasket group play schedule here.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Luka Doncic highlights from Slovenia’s group play game versus Poland