Doncic’s 42-Point Outburst Sends Slovenia to EuroBasket Quarterfinals
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Luka Doncic overcame a brief quad scare to power Slovenia past Italy, 84–77, on Sunday and clinch a place in the EuroBasket 2025 quarterfinals.
The Los Angeles Lakers guard poured in 22 points in the opening quarter before heading to the locker room to have his right quadriceps stretched. He returned minutes later, closed the half with 30 points and finished with 42 points and 10 rebounds.
Doncic is averaging 34.0 points through the tournament, the highest mark in this year’s field. According to Eurohoops, he is only the third player in the past 30 years to record at least 40 points and 10 rebounds in a EuroBasket game, joining Dirk Nowitzki (2001) and Pau Gasol (2015).
Guard Klemen Prepelic was the only other Slovenian in double figures, posting 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting.
For Italy, Miami Heat forward Simone Fontecchio tallied 22 points, five rebounds and three steals. Italy outscored Slovenia by 11 with Fontecchio on the floor but was minus-18 during his time on the bench.
Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari, who has indicated this tournament will be his last with the national team, contributed 10 points and three rebounds in 12 minutes. After the game, head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco confirmed he is stepping down, thanking federation president Giovanni Petrucci for the opportunity to lead the squad.
Quarterfinal Schedule
Three quarterfinal pairings are set:
- Turkey vs. Poland – Tuesday
- Slovenia vs. Germany – Wednesday
- Finland vs. Georgia – Wednesday
Lithuania meets the winner of Sunday’s matchup between Greece and Israel on Tuesday.
Source: Hoops Rumors
