feature-image

Reuters

feature-image

Reuters

Earlier today, Luka Doncic made a huge statement on his Olympic debut. The Slovenian, who arrived in Tokyo on the back of an impressive NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks, led his country to victory against Argentina in their opening group match with the score reading 118-100.

Terrell Owens holding Dude Wipes XL

Although the 22-year-old put in a stunning individual performance, he played the team game after the match.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

ADVERTISEMENT

Luka Doncic lauds team effort after Slovenia’s first win in Tokyo Olympics 2020

Doncic arrived in Tokyo after leading the Mavericks to another NBA playoffs appearance. Although he dazzled the masses in the post-season, his team couldn’t get past the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round. Despite leading 2-0, they lost the series 4-3.

After that disappointment, Doncic led Slovenia to their first-ever Olympic berth by helping them win the qualifying tournament held in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania. The Slovenians defeated Lithuania 96-85 to secure their place in Tokyo.

ADVERTISEMENT

article-image

Reuters

In Doncic, Slovenia has a lethal weapon that could help them clinch a medal. And the 22-year-old didn’t waste any time in showing his potential at the global sporting spectacle. He tallied 11 rebounds and five assists to go with a mammoth 48-point performance in their opening Group C match.

ADVERTISEMENT

In fact, the 6’7″ point guard needed just eight more points to break the Olympic record for the most points in a single game. Although this statistic seemed impressive, Doncic admitted the victory for his team mattered more than individual records.

READ MORE: WATCH: Luka Doncic Begins His Olympics Debut With a Classic Step Back 3 vs Argentina

ADVERTISEMENT

He said,?“I don?t care about records. We got a win, and that?s what we came here for. I think it was what ? three, four minutes? It doesn?t matter. We won the game.”

Doncic made 62% of his shots from the field

ADVERTISEMENT

The Slovenian point guard put on a shooting clinic inside the paint, making 12 out of 15 shots from inside the arc. In addition, he also made six three-pointers from 14 attempts.

article-image

Reuters

However, Doncic didn’t let his offensive masterclass stop him from defending. Along with three defensive rebounds, he also made three blocks during the 31 minutes he spent on court.

ADVERTISEMENT

Slovenia will take on Japan in their next Pool C game on Thursday, July 29. Although they are debutants in Tokyo, Doncic’s presence makes them a legitimate contender for the men’s basketball gold.

WATCH STORY: Luka Doncic, Rudy Gobert and All Other NBA Players Competing for a Gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Sanket Nair

878 Articles

Sanket Nair is an F1 & US Sports Author at EssentiallySports. He began following F1 since 2010, which made him an instant Sebastian Vettel fan. His favorite tracks on the calendar include Spa-Francorchamps, Monaco and Monza. When he's away from the keyboard, Sanket enjoys a short drive around town. He completed his Post-Graduation in Sports Management from Jain University, Bengaluru.

Know more

ADVERTISEMENT