In Katowice, Poland, Slovenia lost 103-95 to France in Group D play on Saturday. However, the Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic reached an astonishing milestone even after ending up on the losing side.
He surpassed 1,000 career points for Slovenia in senior official competitions, finishing with 39 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds. Doncic needed 28 points entering the contest to achieve the feat and cleared the threshold comfortably, ending the night with 1,011 career points for Slovenia. He was nearly flawless from the free-throw line, converting 19 of 20 attempts, and added four three-pointers while logging an efficiency rating of 40.
The milestone continues Doncic's scoring legacy across major international tournaments. He totaled 129 points at EuroBasket 2017, 182 at EuroBasket 2022, 216 at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, and 83 at the 2024 Olympic Qualifiers. His Olympic debut in Tokyo saw him register 143 points, including a 48-point opener against Argentina. In the 2021 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Kaunas, he added 85 points, while his 2023 European Qualifiers run produced another 100.
France, however, had the last laugh in Katowice. Guard Sylvain Francisco delivered a career night with 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, while also going a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line. His effort spearheaded a dominant showing from the French bench, which outscored Slovenia’s reserves 78-26.
Washington Wizards duo Bilal Coulibaly (13 points, 4 rebounds) and Alexandre Sarr (12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) added support, while Atlanta Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher chipped in 12 points.
The game remained close through most of the night, with 12 lead changes and 15 ties. At 83-83 with four minutes left, France closed on an 8-0 run, powered by Alexandre Sarr’s defensive presence and clutch plays from Guerschon Yabusele and Elie Okobo. France also controlled the paint with a 38-20 scoring edge.
The game ended in controversy when, after the buzzer, Francisco attempted a layup instead of walking off following the handshake line, leading to a scuffle between players from both sides.
Although Doncic played brilliantly, Slovenia dropped to 0-2 in Group D, following an earlier 105-95 defeat to co-host Poland, where Doncic had 34 points. France, meanwhile, improved to 2-0 and remains unbeaten heading into its clash with Israel. Slovenia will look to recover against Belgium in hopes of keeping its campaign alive.
