OLYMPIC GAMES
What are Luka Doncic’s chances of playing with the Slovenian national team at the Olympics?
New Zealand’s 90-86 victory over Croatia means that Slovenia must defeat the Oceania team by more than 10 points on Thursday to avoid elimination.
In the pre-Olympic basketball tournament, only the winning team from the four groups will qualify for the Paris Games. Each group has three countries, and the format is a bit unpredictable. After a series of matches, it’s clear that Croatia, Slovenia, and New Zealand are the teams to watch. The results from the matches so far have created various possible outcomes. For example, if New Zealand wins against Slovenia, they will be at the top of their group. However, if Slovenia wins, the group will have a three-way tie. Even though Croatia has an excellent average score, their position is not yet guaranteed. Slovenia’s chances depend on their margin of victory against New Zealand. If they win by a large margin, they could still qualify. On the other hand, if they lose or win by a small margin, they might be out of the competition.
On Wednesday, Croatia was trailing 42-50 but managed to come back and take the lead at 79-74. However, New Zealand fought hard and turned the game around, going from 84-77 in the 36th minute to 86-90 in the last four minutes, scoring 13 points, while Croatia scored only 2 points. Hezonja had a tough time shooting, making only 6 of 22 shots and 1 of 9 three-pointers. He missed a crucial three-pointer in the final seconds when the score was 86-88 and another later. He ended with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Dario Saric, his teammate, had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, but he had a -18-point differential on the court. Ivica Zubac had a stellar performance with 29 points and 16 rebounds, achieving a 43-efficiency rating, but it wasn’t enough for Croatia to win.
The final contribution of Corey Webster and Shea Ili (11 points between them) helped turn the final score around. Shooting guard Webster finished with 21 points, and point guard Ili with 18. New Zealand could resist the Croatian pull to take the lead in the final seconds. The presence of Yannick Wetzell, a former Baskonia player, coincided with several of the best moments of the Oceanic team, coached by Pero Cameron, who imposes his stamp, a game with a high pace.