Doncic and Slovenia display to send one of the candidates home
The second phase is not forgiving. Every match is life or death. The slightest error penalizes you and sends you home. That has happened to Australia, which has fallen to a great Slovenia led by Luka Dončić, who did what he wanted with his defense.
With this victory, the Slovenians are 4-0 with one game to play (against Germany on Sunday), and Australia 2-2. As the Germans are also 4-0, it is impossible for them to reach the quarterfinals. Great disappointment with the selection of Giddey, Mills, Green, Ingles and company, who were competing for medals.
Serious image of Slovenia from the start, moving the ball well and giving one of their best games so far in the World Cup. Giddey as an Australian lighthouse with good penetrations. Doncic began to warm up his wrist with good long shots. Tobey and Prepelic, luxury squires in the first games, surrounded the Mavs star with great actions.
The +11 (28-17) forced Brian Goorijan, Australian coach, to call a necessary timeout. Australia pressed in defense with Thybulle and Kay as the protagonists, but Slovenia remained comfortable on the court. The score showed an unpredictable 28-18 at the end of the first.
In the second quarter, Mills wanted to look like a version of what he has been like in the FIBA championships by taking responsibility. Slovenia punished Australia’s defensive errors on every possession. The veteran point guard closed the gap to 34-25 and, without Doncic on the court, forced Sekulic to call a timeout.
The game became a rollercoaster, with Slovenia showing more energy in offensive rebounds and second chances. In the midst of the chaos, Doncic managed to bring out the magic in him. Mills and Ingles took the stripes that Giddey left. 49-40 at halftime, and Australia playing to stay alive.
Energy was still the key factor for the Slovenians in the second half. Luka easily found his teammates, but the effectiveness was not the same. The Mavs star was quick to foul, with four before the end of the third. This situation forced him to sit on the bench. Giddey came through again, scoring 13 points in the third quarter. 66-62 before the last one.
The former Madrid player would begin the key moment on the bench. That did not stop Slovenia from bringing out their best version and occupying the corners well to find free triples. The long shots kept coming in, and the faces were getting longer and longer on the Australian bench. The final score of 91-80 indicated that the Slovenian dream continued, and the road was ending for a disappointing Australia, which aspired to qualify for the final rounds.
Doncic was the best on his team with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists (in addition to 6 turnovers). In Australia, the best Giddey with 25 points and 8 rebounds. Great world cup for the Thunder player. Luka continues to command.
– Data sheet:
91 – Slovenia (28+21+17+25): Doncic (20), Dragic (7), Nikolic (9), Klemen Prepelic (10), Tobey (18) -starting five- Cebasek (9), Dimec (2 ), Hrovat (10), Bine Prepelic (3) and Samar (3)
80 – Australia (18+22+22+18): Mills (17), Kai (3), Green (8), Giddey (25), Reath (3) -starting five- Thybulle (6), Ingles (-) , cooks (2), Exum (13), Daniels (3), Goulding (-) and White (-).
Referees : Matthew Kallio (Canada), Jorge Vázquez (Puerto Rico) and Blanca Burns (United States). They eliminated Dimec due to personal fouls (m.38).
Incidents : Match corresponding to Group E of the first phase of the Basketball World Cup played at the Okinawa Arena in Okinawa (Japan) in front of 10,000 spectators.