KATOWICE (Poland) - Slovenia clinched third place in Group D on Thursday after Luka Doncic fell one assist shy of becoming the first player to post a second triple-double in FIBA Eurobasket history.
The Slovenia captain registered 37 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists to power his team to an 106-96 win over Israel, who had come into the contest with legitimate options to finish first in the group.
Turning Point
Led by Doncic's all-around play, Slovenia created a 13-point gap, 78-65, towards the end of the third quarter. Israel however found solutions to reduce the gap to 83-78 in the fourth, also exploiting the absence of Slovenia's captain, who was on the bench with four fouls.
Once Slovenia's leader returned to the court, with 7:13 left on the clock, the momentum shifted once again. Doncic hit a dagger to restore a 14-point lead for Slovenia, 101-87 with 2:22 to go, and sealed his nation's first-ever EuroBasket win over Israel.
TCL Player of the Game
Do we need to state the obvious? Doncic didn't only come within an inch of a second triple-double at EuroBasket 2025, but his elite performance alos propelled Slovenia to third place in the group. He finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists in what will be remembered as an iconic display.
Despite the defeat, Avdija still put up record numbers. He scored a personal EuroBasket high of 34 points and added 9 rebounds. Only Oded Kattash has scored more points in his first 10 EuroBasket games with Israel.
Stats Don't Lie
While Slovenia were almost perfect at the line, making 20-of-23 free-throws, Israel wasted some opportunities at the charity stripe, as they finished on 63 percent (12-of-19) from the line. Aleksander Sekulic's team also dished 28 assists, compared to Israel's 21.
Bottom Line
After starting Group D action with two consecutive losses, to Poland and France, Slovenia bounced back with three straight wins. They have now secured third place in Group D.
Israel, on the other hand, found themselves in fourth position. Both teams tied at 3-2 in the Group D standings, and will now wait for the game between Spain and Greece in Limassol to discover their opponents in the Round of 16.
They Said
"We know what we are capable of doing, we have been together for many Years, especially the base of the team. We lost against very good Poland and very talented France, but we bounced back. We knew Israel was a dangerous team, but we forced our rhythm on the game." - Slovenia's Klemen Prepelic.
"[Roman Sorkin] is a very hard and strong player, it's the first time in this tournament I play someone like him, in and out. I lost a lot of energy today. We played ups and downs, but congrats to my brothers." - Slovenia's Alen Omic.
"It's tough, [Luka Doncic] is a tough player. He knows how to pick-and-pop defenses: he has shown it in the stats and in his game. Playing against a player like that is great: you like the challenge of competing against those types of guys. But it was a tough one for us." - Israel's Khadeen Carrington.
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA