By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic had some magic moments but this time it was not enough. The front line of Germany dictated the outcome of the game as the hosts prevailed 90-71 and are still on top of Group J of the European FIBA World Cup qualifiers with a 7-1 record, while Slovenia remains third but with a 5-3 record.
It was the first defeat of Doncic this summer with the Slovenian national team, including exhibition games. Plus he gave a real scare to everyone in the middle of the third period when he appeared to have injured his right ankle, but after a couple of minutes, he returned to the game.
His numbers were good (23 p. 6 r. 5 as.), but the most important stat was the rebounding battle with Germany finishing the game with a 56-27 advantage.
After a close first half in which the hosts had a 33-31 advantage, Germany got things under control in the third quarter with a partial 28-15 score (61-46). At the start of the last period, Germany led by 17 (67-50) and later on by 19 points (83-64).
Franz Wagner with 16 points in total kept Germany up in the score in the first half, Johannes Voigtmann with 11 points and 14 rebounds had a crucial presence, but ultimately Dennis Schroder with 17 points and 10 assists sealed the deal and made things happen. Andreas Obst also was a key with 13 points on 4/7 threes.
For Slovenia, Mike Tobey with 10 points was the only other player besides Doncic who scored in double digits (12 p.). The next stop for the two teams is the Eurobasket 2022, in which they compete in the same first-round group in Cologne, together with France, Lithuania, Hungary, and Bosnia.