Mavs Coffee Talk: Luka Doncic Beats Jokic in Slovenia Win Over Serbia
Before Slovenia and Serbia tipped off their friendly match on Wednesday afternoon, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic and his two-time MVP buddy Nikola Jokic went out for coffee together.
"I'm looking forward to playing in a full arena,” Doncic told Serbian media before the match. “Serbia is exceptionally strong team, so that will be a big challenge for us. I can't wait to meet Jokic. He's incredible player. I respect him as a person. We will go for a coffee before the game."
After that, though, it was all business, as Doncic led Slovenia to a 97-92 overtime win over Serbia. In 35 minutes of action, Doncic finished with 34 points, six rebounds, nine assists and one block while shooting 11-20 from the field, including 3-9 from deep and 9-14 from the free-throw line.
Not only did Doncic finish with a fantastic stat line, but he did so by being especially mean to his coffee buddy on a handful of occasions, starting with this Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-esque hook-shot.
This wasn’t the first time Doncic brought out the hook-shot this summer, which makes you wonder if he’s truly added it to his “toolbox,” as Dirk Nowitzki’s mentor Holger Geschwindner used to say.
Doncic also had Jokic’s ankles in a bind on the perimeter…
We don’t know who got the tab at the coffee shop between the two $200+ million men, but regardless, Doncic owes Jokic on their next visit after Wednesday’s performance. Jokic finished with 26 points.
After being criticized for his conditioning last season, Doncic made it a point to stay on top of that this summer, and it appears to be paying off. With a little more than a month left until training camp begins, Doncic looks like he’s in great shape.
Given that EuroBasket 2022 is set to take place from Sept. 1-18, it feels safe to say that Doncic will be ready to hit the ground running when the Mavs play at the Phoenix Suns to open the season on Oct. 19. You can checkout the full schedule breakdown here.
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