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The FIBA World Cup exhibitions continue Friday with a Slovenia vs. Greece rematch following Wednesday's clash between the two teams. On Wednesday, the two teams squared off in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with the two teams meeting in Athens Greece this time.
On Wednesday when the two teams squared off, it was Greece that secured the 98-91 win, with Kostas Papanikolau leading the team with 19 points. In addition, up-and-coming young star Thomas Walkup contributed an impressive 17 points and six assists, with several clutch late-game buckets.
On the flip side, Luka Doncic unsurprisingly led the way for Slovenia, posting a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists. While he picked up right where he left off during EuroBasket last summer, the team's lack of depth is a concern heading into Friday's Slovenia vs. Greece rematch.
While Giannis Antetoounmpo's absence has continued to make headlines for Greece, Slovenian veteran Edo Muric will also be absent from the World Cup. Muric tore his ACL during the final game of the SKL season, Slovenia's pro basketball league.
In addition, Team Slovenia will also be without Goran Dragic, who seems to be retired from national competitions at 37 years old.
Rosters for Slovenia vs. Greece rematch
Team Slovenia roster:
- Jaka Blazic
- Vlatko Cancar
- Jakob Cebasek
- Ziga Dimec
- Luka Doncic
- Zoran Dragic
- Gregor Glas
- Gregor Hrovat
- Aljaz Kunc
- Jordan Morgan
- Aleksej Nikolic
- Bine Prepelic
- Klemen Prepelic
- Ziga Samar
- Mike Tobey
Team Greece roster:
- Thomas Walkup
- Michalis Lountzis
- Dimitris Flionis
- Giannoulis Larentzakis
- Lefteris Bochoridis
- Demitris Moraitis
- Kostas Papanikolaou
- Ioannis Pappapetrou
- Nikos Rogkavopoulos
- Vasilia Charalampopoulos
- Giannis Antetokounmpo*
- Dinos Mitoglou
- Dimitris Agravanis
- Vandelis Zougris
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo
- Lefteris Mantzoukas
- Georgia Papagiannis
- Kostas Antetokounmpo
It's important to note that Team Greece is expected to be without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is still recovering from a knee injury. While the hope is that he'll be good to go for the FIBA World Cup, he'll likely miss the upcoming game.
Slovenia vs. Greece prediction
While it was Team Greece that emerged victorious from the first clash between the two teams earlier in the week, will lightning strike twice? Without Giannis Antetokounmpo, it's no secret that Team Greece will be without its biggest weapon.
With that said, however, Team Slovenia seems to be sorely missing both Edo Muric and Goran Dragic. Given the lack of depth on the team, our prediction is that Team Greece will once again get the win in the Slovenia vs. Greece rematch despite a big performance from Luka Doncic.
