Mavs' Luka Doncic Dazzles in Slovenia's Blowout Victory vs. Japan
The Slovenian national team made an early trip to Japan to get acclimated to the time zone, featuring four training sessions prior to a final exhibition match against the Japanese national team. Led by a spectacular performance by Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, Slovenia won 103-68 in front of a packed and energized Ariake Arena crowd in Tokyo.
"We played the best quality match in preparation," Slovenian representative Gregor Hrovat said. "Admittedly, the rival was of lower quality, but plays a much different basketball than we are used to. The match was good preparation for the World Cup, because there, we will also meet tams that play this kind of basketball."
"We played quality defense and the ball moved nicely, which should be our guide in the future as well.
Doncic held a major size advantage against backcourt matchups, resulting in the need for Japan to send help to the paint — leaving them vulnerable to incredible spray-out and drop-off passes from the superstar. He finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in under 28 minutes.
Slovenia established a double-figure advantage over Japan for much of the game, but led just 26-21 at the end of the opening quarter. With Japan being contained to a combined 29 points over the next two quarters, Slovenia had created a 77-50 edge entering the final period. The team had created resting opportunities for key players as a result.
Doncic received help from numerous key teammates, with Jaka Blazic recording 16 points on 4-6 shooting from 3, Zoran Dragic scoring 14 points on 7-8 shooting on 2s, and Mike Tobbey registering a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The team held a 48-36 rebounding edge and nearly finished shooting 70 percent on 2s with Ziga Sammar recording eight of 27 total assists.
"This was the match we needed before the start of the championship," Tobey said. "It raised our self-confidence and above all, we were able to develop our game. We passed the ball to each other nicely and finished attacks effectively."
Tobey, who joined the Slovenian national team late in the preparatory process, feels a heightened sense of confidence after his performance against Japan. He admitted to being in a much greater rhythm now than he was when he had first arrived.
"I have to admit that I feel much better now than I did the first week when I joined the national team," Tobey said. "I feel that I'm in the right rhythm, so I can't wait for the World Cup to start."
"On Monday, we will move to Okinawa, where we have to use the last days before the championship to adjust and eliminate the last shortcomings, and then tackle the first three opponents as confidently as possible," Hrovat said.
Slovenia will take on Group F to begin their competition at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, beginning with a match against Venezuela on Saturday, Aug. 26. Other opponents include Georgia and Cape Verde.
Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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