Slovenia beat Cape Verde 92-77 in third and final Group F game, and will face the Boomers in the second round in a reprisal of the battle for bronze at the Games two years ago.
(2023 Getty Images)
The rematch is on.
Luka Doncic again flirted with a triple-double as Slovenia beat Cape Verde 92-77 to finish top of Group F at FIBA World Cup 2023 on Wednesday (30 August).
Doncic, taking it relatively easy on the night at Okinawa Arena with 30 minutes of work, finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and nine assists as Slovenia made it three-for-three in group play.
The win set up another mouth-watering clash in the second round between Slovenia and Australia, who squared off for bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where the Boomers won their first-ever medal.
Australia on this evening secured a quota out of Oceania for Paris 2024 after New Zealand were felled 83-74 by Greece.
Doncic did not speak to reporters after the game but his fingerprints were all over it as the Slovenians quickly turned their sights to Round 2 against Australia, who they deemed to be even better than the team they faced two summers ago.
“We need a lot,” said Zoran Dragic, the younger brother of Slovenia legend Goran. “Especially now, they’re a different roster to how they were in the Olympic Games - even better now. We know who are the main targets, the core guys on this team.
“Now it’s the real deal. It’s not going to be easy. They have, it’s just a good combination of veterans and young players.
“It’s going to be a good game.”
Forward Mike Tobey said payback is definitely on Slovenia’s mind. With Doncic always being Doncic, the supporting cast - the “others” - will need to step up.
“Last time we played them we lost in the bronze game so there’s extra motivation for us,” Tobey said.
“Luka’s our main guy and everyone’s playing their role really well. Luka’s going to be Luka. He’s the star that he is. We got to do our job around him to do what we do.”
Added Dragic, “We tried to rest him a little bit today. He just gives us something - you saw it today.
“I don’t know what they’ll do. They’ll have something planned. We just need to play together so it will be more difficult for the other teams - and to get him going.”