Slovenia defeated New Zealand with a score of 104:78 as part of the Olympic qualifying tournament held in Piraeus.
To secure a spot in the semifinals, head coach Aleksander Sekulic and his team needed a win by at least 10 points. Additionally, they required a win with a margin of over 29 points to surpass Croatia and advance to the next phase of the tournament as the top team.
Luka Doncic opened the game phenomenally and, visibly motivated, brought his team to a 14:2 lead. As time progressed, Josh Nebo joined in, and the lead continued to grow (23:7). Ziga Dimec set the final score at 27:9 at the end of the first quarter with a buzzer-beater.
Gregor Hrovat made a notable impact at the start of the second quarter, but at 31:13, New Zealand showed the first signs of life. Shea Ili got into a rhythm towards the end of the first half, sparking a 7-0 run and reviving his team, which made Luka Doncic visibly frustrated and arguing with teammates on the bench due to the play in the closing stages of the half. Slovenia led 46:39 going into the break.
Evidently, the reaction from the Dallas Mavericks star positively impacted the team, and Luka Doncic particularly took control of the game in the third quarter, propelling Slovenia to a then-highest 25-point lead. He capped off the third quarter with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, making it 77:57 going into the final period, and by that time, he had already scored 31 points.
Whatever you do, do it with a smile 😀#FIBAOQT x @kzs_si 🇸🇮
— FIBA (@FIBA) July 4, 2024
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