By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic had 34 points, nine assists, and five steals. Poland still started the Eurobasket with a home win, since they are the hosts of Group D in the tournament.
Playing in front of a sold-out crowd, Poland prevailed 105-95, and 2022 history repeated itself.
The naturalized guard of Poland, former NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors and currently with EuroLeague finalists Monaco, Jordan Loyd, had a big night scoring 19 of his 32 points in the first half, on five out of six threes. In total, he made seven out of eight. His 32 points are the second-best performance ever in a Eurobasket for Poland.
Mateusz Ponitka, who was also present in 2022, added 23 points, and Andrzej Pluta added 15 points.
After the first period, Doncic already had 14 points, but his team was trailing 29-25, and pretty much that’s the story of the game. Slovenia tied the score at 30, only for Poland to react with a 7-0 run (37-30).
The guests didn’t back down and got a 46-45 lead after a three by Doncic, his only points in the second quarter. Still, Poland closed the first half up by one (47-46) after a layup by Kamil Laczynski.
The hosts opened the second half with a 15-3 run (62-49) after two technical fouls, one on Doncic and one on the Slovenian bench, and that proved to be enough. Poland entered the last period up by 11 (80-69) after a three by Pluta, and Slovenia couldn’t get into striking distance.
Edo Muric added 17 points and Gregor Horvat 15 for the losing side.
France and Israel net comfortable wins
Earlier in Katowice, France strolled past Belgium, 92-64. With Frederic Fauthoux splitting time between all 12 players, Elie Okobo and Bilal Coulibaly shared a team-high 12 points. On the wrong end of one-way traffic, Hans Vanwijn registered a game-high 13 points.
In the Group D opener, Israel topped Iceland, 83-71. Roman Sorkin registered a game-high 31 points with 13/19 field goals. Deni Avdija chipped in 20 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and two assists with his NBA coach, Chauncey Billups, in attendance.
Photo Credit: FIBA