Luka Doncic helps Slovenian National Team defeat Croatia in a friendly

The Dallas Mavericks were watching closely as superstar Luka Doncic continued his busy summer on Aug. 20 in a friendly against Croatia. It was the second meeting of the summer as Slovenia dominated the action in World Cup qualifying back in June. Doncic had a 21-point double-double in the first meeting, but what did he do for an encore?

For the second time in four friendly games, Luka did not play in the fourth quarter. Slovenia did not need him as they dominated the entire second half to pick up a 94-88 win over a tough Croatian National Team. Bojan Bogdanovic, Ivica Zubac, and Dario Saric starred for their country, but they did not have the answer to topping Slovenia.

It was far from Doncic’s best game, but he led his country to another win. They are undefeated in the five games he has played so far this summer, and Slovenia appears ready to defend their EuroBasket title. Here is a look at Luka’s performance in the final friendly, and what is next for the 23-year-old and his national team.

Luka Doncic lifts Slovenian National Team over Croatia in friendly

Doncic nailed his patented step-back 3-pointer in the second quarter as Slovenia shook off the rust from a rough start to the period.

It was one of just two field goals that Luka made on Saturday. He finished with ten points, six assists, five rebounds, and one steal in 21.2 minutes of action. He was just two of nine from the field and had five turnovers, but Slovenia outscored Croatia by seven when he was on the floor.

Goran Dragic came off the bench in this friendly, but he produced the highlight of the night on his wild inbounds play.

Slovenia is ready for the difficult slate ahead. That wraps up the friendly portion of the Slovenian National Team’s schedule. They face Estonia in the first of two World Cup qualifying games on Aug. 25 with EuroBasket to follow.

Luka Doncic and company are in a difficult group at the European championships, and their journey starts against Lithuania in a must-see matchup. Fans should stay tuned to The Smoking Cuban for all the latest on Luka, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Slovenian National Team.