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Luka Doncic and Slovenia saw their quest to win the gold medal in the 2021 Olympics men's basketball campaign come to an end on Thursday against European heavyweights France. The Slovenians lost the tie 89-90 after Nicolas Batum made a clutch block in the dying moments to seal the game for the French.
Doncic and Slovenia's debut Olympic campaign has been truly enthralling. They fought tooth and nail against France to qualify for the Finals and face the USA. However, France proved their mettle once again with the plethora of experience they have in a mega tournament like the Olympics.
The Slovenian went into half-time with a 2-point lead but ended up going down in the third quarter to the French as Evan Fournier and Co. outscored them 29-21 in that stretch.
Slovenia fought back nonetheless and took the game right until the end but failed to churn out a win after Klemen Prepelic's layup attempt was blocked by Batum in emphatic style, with the Slovenians trailing by just one point.
Let's look at the five key takeaways Slovenia can reflect on as they aim to win their bronze medal game against Australia.
#5 Slovenia was predictable as the game progressed
Slovenia started the game with great energy and outplayed the French on multiple possessions. That helped them gain an eight-point advantage mid-way through the first quarter. The Slovenians struggled to shoot the ball well from deep so they shifted their focus to attacking the paint instead. It worked for the majority of the game, with Luka Doncic showing off his spectacular court vision on almost every possession.
However, the French adjusted well to that tactic in the second half of the match, which helped them take an 11-point lead midway through the third quarter of the match. It tilted the game in their favor and helped them stay in control.
#4 Luka Doncic needs another playmaker alongside him
Luka Doncic was the floor general for the Slovenians, as expected. He tallied 18 assists on the night and helped his team stay in the game for long stretches. The French offered him very little space to operate, though, which restricted him from helping the team in the scoring department. He scored 16 points on 28% field goal shooting.
Slovenia needs another player or two to share the playmaking responsibility with Doncic in these kinds of situations. It would have helped them immensely against France. Australia is also lethal with its defense and will look to restrict Doncic. Hence, it will be important for Slovenia to figure out other ways to run plays, which can ease the pressure off Doncic.
#3 Slovenia struggled from the free-throw line and beyond the arc
Slovenia have been one of the best three-point shooting teams in the Olympics. They shot at least 14.5 threes per game before facing France on Thursday but struggled to replicate that form. Slovenia shot 4-of-16 from long range in the first half.
Their free-throw shooting has been poor since the start of the Olympics, and the semifinals were no different. They could only convert 11 of their 20 attempts from the foul line, while France made 16 of their 19 attempts. The game was decided by a margin of one point, which shows that those missed free throws could have made a huge difference.
#2 Slovenia is a gritty team
Slovenia showed a tremendous amount of grit to make sure they stayed in the game despite their poor showing in the second half. France led by ten points midway through the third quarter but Luka Doncic and Co. made sure they did not give up as they cut that lead down to one point at the start of the fourth.
It speaks volumes as to why Slovenia have been so dominant in their debut Olympic campaign. It will be important that they play with the same intensity against the Australians, who are a solid all-around team as well.
#1 Slovenia's offense isn't easy to contain
Even though France were able to pull the stops on Slovenia defensively, it wasn't as easy as it looked. The Slovenians exhausted their opponents with their high-paced style of play and weren't afraid to play with a great amount of physicality. The French had eight blocks in total, but Slovenia were still adamant on attacking the rim, scoring a whopping 46 points in the paint.
Luka Doncic's playmaking and the rest of the players like Klemen Prepelic, Jaka Blazic, and Mike Tobey's ability to score big makes them one of the most lethal offensive units in the world.
Slovenia's future is secured with Doncic leading their way from here on. It will be interesting to see how they fare in other international tournaments, especially after coming so close to making it to the finals.
Guess the Lakers players!
