Luka Doncic kept his Olympic dreams alive this week, after the Slovenia basketball team edged into the semi finals of qualifying where they will face a Greece side led by Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Luka’s Slovenia vs Giannis’ Greece In Olympic Qualifiers
Slovenia and Luka Doncic have successfully navigated their way through the Olympic qualifiers so far, but on Saturday they will face their toughest challenge yet in the shape of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece.
So far Slovenia have beaten Croatia and New Zealand in qualifiers, while Greece comfortably got past the Dominican Republic and Egypt in their first two games.
With Slovenia’s win today over New Zealand in Olympic qualifying, it now sets up a fun matchup Saturday in Greece for a winner-take-all scenario.
Luka Doncic vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo with a likely berth in the Olympics on the line. pic.twitter.com/mte9Z9lm7I
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 4, 2024
Luka and Giannis have faced off nine times during their careers, but the head to head record is extremely one sided in the Bucks star’s favor.
Antetokounmpo has won seven of the nine head to heads and he has averaged a double double as well as 33.2 points per game in those matches.
Although Doncic’s head to head record against Antetokounmpo isn’t great, international basketball is a whole other story and when the All-Star’s clash on Saturday in the semi final of Olympic qualifiers, it is sure to be a thrilling matchup.
Walk in the park. 🏞️#mojtim I @SportTVSlovenia pic.twitter.com/S2PcJNoxRn
— Košarkarska zveza SIovenije (@kzs_si) July 4, 2024
The winner of Saturday’s semi final will face one of either Latvia or the Philippines, with both nations advancing from their respective groups into the second semi final.
Following the final the winning team won’t have much of a break, with the first Olympic game taking place in Paris on the 27th of July later this month.
After reaching the NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks last season Luka Doncic is certainly due a break from basketball, as he has played for almost an entire year with little to no break in his busy schedule to recover.
