The Lakeshow Review

Following a rough start to EuroBasket 2025, Slovenia seems to be coming together at the right time. Fresh off the heels of a victory over Israel to conclude group stage, Slovenia took down Italy today by a score of 84-77. Luka Dončić was once again Luka Magic, as the Lakers star dropped a game high 42 points, to go with 10 rebounds and an assist. He also collected three steals. Luka was quite efficient today, shooting 11 of 19 from the field. Even more encouraging is the fact that his three-pointer seems to be rounding into shape, as he made five out of his 11 shot attempts from behind the arc. What’s impressive about Luka so far is he seems to be capable of dialling in his level of play depending on the stakes at hand. All of his best games have come as of late, and he seems to be keenly aware of his importance to the Slovenian team, and how much he needs to contribute in order to win. Today he wasn’t so much Luka the distributor as much as he was Luka the bucket-getter. He knew his team needed every ounce of offense he could muster, and he made sure to keep pressing on the accelerator when it came to scoring the basketball. On the other hand, he didn’t get much support tonight from the rest of the team, as Klemen Prepelic (11 points on 3/10 from the field) was the only other Slovenian scoring in double-figures. At this stage though, Luka will do whatever he has to do. It’s win or go home moving forward.

Italy was a worthy foe today, as they battled their way back into the contest despite falling behind by double digits at halftime. Luka came scorching out of the gates, helping Slovenia build a 29-11 lead after the first quarter. By halftime he had scored 30 points, while helping preserve the lead. But Italy bounced back, after they decisively won the third quarter, and would eventually make it a one point affair late in the fourth quarter. Led by NBA alum Danilo Gallinari and Simone Fontecchio, the Italians were a strong team coming into this tournament, and continued to prove why. Slovenia, to their credit were able to execute late and make the timely buckets that would gradually push their lead back up and help them close the game.

Italy’s gameplan versus Luka was an interesting one, as they opted not to double or trap as much, instead switching on ball screens and trying to tire him out by making him iso all game. Luka recognized this, and was determined to beat his man off the dribble and get to the free throw line, where he connected on 15 of his 16 attempts. Conversely, when the defense switched, Luka was aggressive in making the switching big guard him in space, often draining a stepback three over him. He made a few of those today, showcasing how truly special his game can be when he has that shot falling. Luka was in full scoring mode today, as his lone assist came via a trap on the wing, where he cleanly fired a laser over the defense, that hit the rolling big in the paint, before the help could rotate, resulting in a dunk. Luka definitely recognized that his team was going to need every bit of offense that he could give them, and he made sure to do just that. Perhaps equally importantly, Luka made sure to get to the line in the waning minutes, with the score heavily contested. Up just one point, with a little over a minute to play, Luka connected on four free throws to make sure they’d secure the victory.

Despite Luka’s teammates not scoring the ball proficiently, one must give them credit for doing the little things that contributed to their win. Slovenia won the battle at the glass, nabbing 40 rebounds, to Italy’s 30. 15 of those were offensive, which lead to an extra 16 points, which very well may have been the biggest factor in today’s win, despite Luka’s gaudy individual statistics. Italy actually outshot Slovenia from the field (45.5% to 42.2%) so one can safely surmise that those offensive rebounds made a sizeable difference in the final outcome. For his play, Luka was named the player of the game, as he once again led both teams in scoring, as well as rebounding. With Luka playing at this level, we must give Slovenia a puncher’s chance to hang with the better teams, as we inch closer to the tournament’s finale.

Luka has looked great in EuroBasket 2025. The changes to his physique are noticeable, and have helped him gain more mobility, which we didn’t see last year, certainly not at this level. In particular, he seems to be able to split doubles and traps, which help him get to the middle of the court, where he can post-up, shoot the mid-range, or if the defense is over-aggressive, earn a trip to the charity stripe. He seems to be well in control offensively, which is an awesome thing to see, and certainly something that we look forward to seeing this upcoming Lakers season. For the most part, his game has looked smooth, and he is letting things come to him as opposed to forcing the issue. His three-pointer is also starting to come around, making him all the more dangerous with the ball in his hands. Slovenia will now be advancing to the quarterfinals, where they’ll take on Germany. The Germans are fresh off the heels of a resounding victory over Portugal in their Round of 16 matchup, and on paper, easily boast one of the more talented rosters in the tournament with no shortage of NBA pedigree. But as we witnessed today, anything can happen in the single elimination format, as Serbia and France both endured upsets, taking the two juggernauts out of the picture. If Luka Magic persists, Slovenia can definitely hang with any of the remaining teams, but alas, you never know. It’ll be intriguing to watch Slovenia square off against Germany, in what should be a fun contest. Until then, let’s hope they can keep playing quality basketball and that Luka keeps bringing the fireworks. Go Slovenia and Go Lakers.