After Giannis Antetokounmpo who atomized Spain in a “friendly” match, it was last night the turn of two other European NBA stars to engage in a fierce battle with their national team. In the end, it was Luka Doncic’s Slovenia who won at home once morest Nikola Jokic’s Serbia, in a duel of guys in -ic which kept all its promises.
Why, in a match counting for butter and where victory does not mean much, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic got away with it so much? Well the answer is very simple: pride. That of wanting to take the upper hand over the other, to remember for one that he is the reigning double NBA MVP, to prove for the other that he already has the level for him also get this honor. The result for us? A friendly match in name only, as Slovenia and Serbia gave us a show worthy of the next EuroBasket to be held next September.. After a neck-and-neck meeting where the two teams responded to each other in quick succession, it was finally the hosts who triumphed following extra time (97-92), carried by a Luka Doncic in steamroller mode. Step-back from the parking lot, penetrations and even arm rolled over Jokic’s head, Luka Magic was present in Ljubljana last night. Fortunately, he announced before the match that he still did not feel 100% physically. Come on, here’s the boy’s stat line, and the little highlights we love: 34 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 1 steal at 11/20 shooting in 34 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_-GPkLWgFU
Opposite, Nikola Jokic will have made Nikola Jokic. Without forcing, he therefore surrendered by being the author of a fine performance with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, like everyday life. However, we can not help thinking that the pivot was angry at the end of the meeting for missing seven shots (12/19), including the one that would have put Serbia ahead with 21 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Novak Djokovic therefore made the trip to Ljubljana for nothing, unlike the former Slovenian NBAer Anthony Randolph, who took advantage of the spectacle offered by the next generation. We therefore leave you with a short summary of this friendly match, which only whets our insatiable appetite as fans of the orange ball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIri6vL6aFw
Luka Doncic has announced it: Slovenia is only aiming for gold at the next Euro. And following such a confrontation, it’s hard not to be hyped by the competition which arrives in September, and which promises to amaze us.
