Mavs Star Luka Doncic Shines as Slovenia Defeats Turkey in OT
Luka Doncic basketball is officially back … and it’s as fun as ever!
The Dallas Mavericks star and Slovenian National team beat Turkey 104-103 in a thrilling overtime friendly match on Friday afternoon. Goran Dragic, who Dallas apparently didn’t much interest is signing this offseason, led Slovenia with 27 points and hit a crucial step-back 3-pointer in the final 18 seconds to seal the game.
Doncic finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in just 27 minutes of action. He exhibited a variety of flashy moves, step-back threes and brute force getting to the rim. He shot 6-9 on his two-point attempts, but struggled from deep, as he shot just 2-7 in that department.
Turkey got a big performance from Philadelphia 76ers guard Furkan Korkmanz, who led all scorers with 33 points. It was his last-minute shot in regulation that forced the game into overtime.
In overtime, Turkey led most of the period, as they controlled 4:14 of the clock. It wasn't until the final 30 seconds that Slovenia took the lead.
Both teams struggled from deep, as Slovenia knocked down 29 percent of its 3s, while Turkey made 26.3 percent. This was a pretty even affair on the boards, but on defense, Turkey dominated in the paint with five blocks.
Friday's win put Slovenia on a five-game winning streak. The team has two more friendly matches remaining until the beginning of EuroBasket on Sept. 1. If you want to catch Doncic's next game, Slovenia plays on Aug. 17 against Serbia and Nikola Jokic.
