Doncic takes elbow to the face from Sabonis in Slovenia’s win over Lithuania at EuroBasket
Kings center Domantas Sabonis left the floor in frustration, but Luka Doncic was all smiles after leading Slovenia over Lithuania on the first day of group play at EuroBasket 2022.
Mike Tobey scored 24 points, Goran Dragic had 19 and Doncic did it all, finishing with 14 points, six rebounds and 10 assists to help defending champion Slovenia beat Lithuania 92-85 in a Group B opener at Lanxess Arena in Germany. Doncic was shaken up when he took an elbow to the face from Sabonis in the final minutes, but the 23-year-old NBA star was in good spirits following the game.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas scored 19 points and Marius Grigonis added 18 to lead Lithuania. Sabonis, a two-time NBA All-Star who is entering his first full season in Sacramento, was held to 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting with five rebounds and four turnovers. Jonas Valanciunas finished with nine points and 12 rebounds.
Doncic went 4 of 14 from the field and made only one of his eight 3-point attempts, but he distributed the ball beautifully and converted two big free throws in the final minutes. After the game, Doncic was greeted by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, vice president of basketball operations Michael Finley and coach Jason Kidd, who sat courtside for a highly anticipated matchup between European powers.
Slovenia led 51-48 at the half and opened up a seven-point lead in the third quarter. Lithuania rallied to take a 78-73 lead on a basket by Sabonis with 6:26 remaining, but Slovenia ended the game with a 19-7 run.
Lithuania still had a chance with less than two minutes to play, but Sabonis was called for an offensive foul after catching Doncic with an elbow to the face. Following a lengthy review, officials called Sabonis for an unsportsmanlike foul, allowing Slovenia to retain possession after Doncic made two free throws to put his team up 88-81 with 1:50 remaining.
This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 11:21 AM.
