Watch: Giannis Antetokounmpo's brother Thansis gets one over Luka Doncic with easy steal and dunk during Slovenia and Greece's game
The 2023 FIBA World Cup preparations are heating up with Slovenia taking on Greece in an exhibition game. Luka Doncic may have had a triple-double, but it was Greece who took home the victory, 98-91.
The two European powerhouse teams were locked in during the game. Doncic tallied 21 points, along with 14 assists and 11 rebounds to carry the Slovenian team while Kostas Papanikolaou and Thomas Walkup made it hard for their opponents to get over the Greek team.
Greece was without Giannis Antetokounmpo, but his brother, Thanasis, was one of the players who stepped up with some crucial plays down the stretch.
Slovenia was leading 84-82 with 4:18 to go in the fourth quarter when Thanasis Antetokounmpo stole the ball from Doncic for the game-tying slam dunk. This sequence prompted the Greek team to make a huge run in the fourth quarter and secure the win.
Antetokounmpo got the best of Luka on this one 😤
*Thanasis* Antetokounmpo.
(via @courtside1891) pic.twitter.com/zMhFTJWNUv
Papanikolau was Greece's top scorer with 19 points while shooting an accurate 6-7 from the field, while Walkup was not far with 17 points.
The team is without Giannis Antetokounmpo for the exhibition games, but he has not been officially ruled out for the 2023 FIBA World Cup yet, as the former NBA champion is still recovering from knee surgery.
Greece and Slovenia will face off against each other again in Athens on Friday, August 4.
WATCH: Full Highlights of the Slovenia vs Greece 2023 FIBA World Cup Preparation Game
Luka Doncic continues to prepare for the 2023 FIBA World Cup
Slovenia is coming to the 2023 FIBA World Cup on a mission to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris without going through the FIBA Olympic Qualifiers.
In order to do so, the team must be in the top two European teams to finish in the 2023 FIBA World Cup to skip the qualifiers.
Luka Doncic has an early rest from the 2022-23 NBA season after the Dallas Mavericks failed to make it to the Western Conference Play-In tournament.
The Slovenian team will play more tune-up games before heading to Japan for their group phase in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Among the teams that they will be testing themselves against are international powerhouse squads like Montenegro, Spain, USA and Japan.
WATCH: Luka Doncic highlights vs Greece