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Slovenia defeated Germany in a 94-70 win in the quarter-finals of the 2021 Olympics on Tuesday. Luka Doncic led a balanced attack for the Slovenians who had a strong second half that allowed them to pull away from the Germans in the end.
It was a highly competitive match early on, even as Slovenia took a double-digit lead. Team Germany rallied from that deficit in the first quarter and led briefly by two, before Slovenia regained the lead seconds later.
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Slovenia have now advanced to the men’s basketball semifinals with their win over Germany in the 2021 Olympics.
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Here are the 5 takeaways from the exciting matchup between Slovenia and Germany:
#1 Luka Doncic had another all-around game
Slovenia will go where Luka Doncic goes. Despite a not-so-good shooting performance (8-of-18 from the field; 2-of-7 from 3-point range), Doncic was in full control of the offense and Germany had no answer for his overall court awareness.
The 22-year-old finished with 20 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds to bring Slovenia one step closer to Olympic gold for the first time since it became a participant in the basketball tournament. Doncic started off slowly but eventually found his groove in the second half.
The Dallas Mavericks star couldn’t repeat the 48-point explosion he achieved in his Olympic debut, but it didn’t matter. Doncic's ability to distribute the ball and score whenever he wanted to was enough to confound Germany and give Slovenia another win.
#2 Slovenia outhustled and outplayed Germany
Though Doncic receives most of the credit, the Slovenians had contributions from almost their entire roster against Germany. All of their starters contributed at least eight points and gave the Germans a tough time figuring out who to guard.
Germany’s defense held up at times, but quick decision-making from Slovenia made it difficult for them to focus on just one player. Led by Doncic, the Slovenians consistently found seams in the opposition defense as the Germans were a step slower in covering for their teammates’ miscues.
#3 Zoran Dragic was on fire
While everyone’s eyes were focused on Doncic, it was Zoran Dragic who led Slovenia in scoring with 27 points on a sizzling hot 11-of-13 shooting from the field. Dragic was the most consistent scorer on the court and his team would not have had the big win that they had without his deft shooting.
He also shot 5-of-7 from 3-point range, opening up the floor for Slovenia’s big men inside. Germany could not keep up with Dragic, who mixed up his offensive attack with drives to the basket and exquisite outside shooting.
With the game out of reach, it was Dragic who extended the lead further with two straight 3-pointers with less than three minutes remaining. His efforts gave Slovenia a 91-65 lead with 1:56 left in the game.
#4 Slovenia owned the paint against Germany
Germany is a big team but Slovenia won the battle of the boards with a 40-28 advantage in rebounding. The biggest difference was in defensive rebounding, where the Slovenians had 31 defensive boards compared to the Germans’ 20.
Slovenian big man Mike Tobey controlled the boards with 11 rebounds while also adding 13 points of his own (including two 3-pointers). He repeatedly created space underneath against a swarm of Germans to secure his double-double performance.
Doncic’s eight rebounds and Dragic’s six were of huge help to Tobey as the trio made sure they kept Germany from getting second-chance points.
#5 Slovenia’s defense
From guarding the perimeter to protecting the shaded lane, Slovenia’s superior defense was one of the key factors in the game. Germany shot just 38.1 percent from the field and only 31.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Slovenia put up a defensive clinic against Germany, who had only two players score in double figures in Maodo Lo (11 points) and Niels Giffey (10). Lo was red-hot at the start of the second quarter as he led Germany to a comeback but his efforts came up short in the end.
Slovenia found a way to cool down Lo and frustrated Orlando Magic star Moritz Wagner into a 2-of-6 shooting night. Wagner finished with just nine points and five turnovers in a disappointing performance.
