Watch: Luka Doncic embarrasses his defender before converting the and-one during 2023 FIBA World Cup exhibition game
Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Doncic showed out for his home country of Slovenia in their 2023 FIBA World Cup exhibition game against Greece on Wednesday. Doncic finished with a triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in 30 minutes of action.
This included an impressive and-one finish in the first quarter. After working his way into the paint, Doncic first sent his defender flying with what may have been a push-off. He then pump-faked, got a second defender off his feet and converted the tough basket through contact.
Watch the play below:
Luka sent his man FLYING before the and one 😅
(via @courtside1891) pic.twitter.com/cs4z2zCkNx
Despite Doncic appearing to be in midseason form against Greece, Slovenia still fell 98-91 at home in Ljubljana. This came even though Greece was without their best player, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is still recovering from offseason knee surgery.
Greece was led by forward Kostas Papanikolaou, who scored a team-high 19 points to go along with four rebounds. Wing Thomas Walkup added 17 points and six assists for the Greeks.
Following the tough home loss, Slovenia will have a rematch against Greece on Friday, with their second exhibition game set to be played in Athens.
Also read: “What happens is another topic” - Luka Doncic aims to win FIBA World Cup 2023 for Slovenia
Former Dallas Mavericks coach thinks Luka Doncic will win MVP next season
Luka Doncic appears to be locked in for Slovenia ahead of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Come to the start of the tournament on August 25, Slovenians will surely be watching in anticipation to see if Doncic can carry their team all the way.
However, Dallas Mavericks fans will also undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on how their star performs ahead of a crucial sixth NBA season. The Mavs are coming off a disappointing 2022-23 season in which they missed the playoffs, finishing with a 38-44 record and 11th place in the Western Conference.
However, many are expecting Dallas to bounce back, including former Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, who recently made a bold prediction regarding Doncic:
During an interview with DallasBasketball.com’s Grant Aftseth on Aug. 1, Carlisle said that he thinks that Doncic will win MVP next season:
“I think Luka's going to be the MVP this year.
“I think he and Kyrie [Irving] are going to play great.”
Carlisle coached Doncic in Dallas for three years before stepping down in 2021 and taking over as coach of the Indiana Pacers. He’s seen firsthand just how talented Doncic is.
According to Carlisle, Doncic is “on the cusp of being the best player in the world.” The Mavs star also appears to be noticeably slimmed down this offseason. So, if he can get Dallas back on track while having another stellar individual season, he should have a great chance to bring home his first MVP.
Doncic averaged 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.8 3-pointers per game on 49.6% shooting over 66 games last season.
Also read: "Dallas is taking good steps": Luka Doncic is keeping one eye on Mavericks while being focused for Slovenia at FIBA World Cup 2023