Doncic Pours In 39, but France’s Bench Sinks Slovenia to 0-2 at EuroBasket
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Luka Doncic delivered 39 points, yet Slovenia slipped to its second consecutive EuroBasket loss on Saturday, falling 103-95 to France in Katowice, Poland.
The Dallas Mavericks star went 19-for-20 at the foul line and added eight rebounds and nine assists, but France’s reserves overwhelmed Slovenia’s second unit 78-26. Point guard Sylvain Francisco paced France with 32 points off the bench, helping the French squad improve to 2-0 in Group D.
The defeat comes two days after Doncic scored 34 in a 105-95 setback against co-host Poland, leaving Slovenia at 0-2.
Group D roundup
Washington Wizards teammates Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr combined for 25 points for France, while Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher added 12.
Elsewhere in the group, Belgium erased a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to edge Iceland 71-64 and move to 1-1. Iceland dropped to 0-2.
Germany first into Round of 16
Dennis Schröder scored 26 points as Germany routed Lithuania 107-88 in Tampere, Finland, clinching the first Round-of-16 berth. Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner had 24 points and seven rebounds, and Daniel Theis chipped in 23.
Germany shot 54% from three-point range, sinking 19 triples. Schröder, who went 5-of-10 from deep, also handed out six assists despite being targeted by two fans who were ejected for racial abuse. Germany sits at 3-0 atop Group B; Lithuania is 2-1.
Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson scored 23 as Sweden (1-2) beat winless Britain (0-3) 78-59 in the same group.
Other results
• Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic posted 39 points, 10 rebounds and four assists to keep Serbia perfect at 3-0 in Group A with a win over Latvia.
• In Cyprus, Miami Heat forward Simone Fontecchio led Italy (1-1) past Georgia (1-1) 78-62 in Group C.
• Estonia (1-2) downed the Czech Republic (0-3) 89-75 in Group A.
The top four teams in each of the four six-team groups advance to the knockout stage in Riga, Latvia, scheduled for Sept. 6-14.
Source: ESPN
