Patryk Stachowiak
Luka Doncic may have lit up the box score in Katowice, but it was Poland who walked away with the statement win in their EuroBasket Group D opener, taking down Slovenia 105-95 in front of an electric home crowd.
The Los Angeles Lakers star delivered a monster individual performance 34 points, nine assists, five steals, four rebounds, and two blocks becoming the first player in EuroBasket history to record at least 30 points, five assists, and five steals in a single game. But it wasn’t enough.
Poland had other plans. The hosts ran a clinical offense, shooting a lethal 59% from the field and drilling 14 of their 26 three-point attempts. Seven of those came courtesy of Jordan Loyd, who stole the spotlight with 32 points, two steals, and two assists in a standout debut just days after being naturalized.
Luka Doncic vs Poland. Source: nbaanalysis.net
“One of the best players in the world will always have the spotlight”
– Loyd told.
“But as a team, we used that energy. You have to stay humble but at the same time, you’re going to respect us too. Luka is Luka, but tonight, our team was better.”
Slovenia looked overly reliant on Doncic throughout. Outside of the 26-year-old’s efforts, only three Slovenian players managed to score more than eight points, exposing their lack of depth against a well-drilled Polish unit.
With momentum now firmly on their side, Poland will look to build on this eye-catching result. As for Slovenia, they’ll be desperate to regroup before facing France on Saturday a matchup that already feels like a must-win.