KATOWICE, Poland — A slimmed-down Luka Doncic gave Lakers fans something to look forward to, but it wasn’t enough to lead his team to victory in a EuroBasket opener on Thursday.
American-born guard Jordan Loyd hit seven 3-pointers and finished with 32 points to help Poland outlast Doncic and Slovenia, 105-95.
Loyd’s efforts spoiled a strong effort from Doncic, who finished with 34 points and nine assists in the Group D matchup. Doncic shot 7 for 14 from the field (3 for 9 from 3-point range) and 17 for 18 from the free-throw line in a team-high 36 minutes. He added five steals and four rebounds.
Poland led 47-46 at halftime, then outscored Slovenia 33-23 in the third quarter to take control.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had a much easier outing, scoring 31 points in 29 minutes for Greece as it downed Italy, 75-66, in Group C in Limassol, Cyprus. Greece shot 62% from the field and hit seven 3-pointers in the victory.
In another Group C matchup, Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 19 points to lead Georgia to an 83-69 upset victory over defending champion Spain.
Mamukelashvili added seven rebounds and six assists as Georgia outrebounded Spain 46-29. Spain shot poorly in a disjointed performance – shooting 6 for 13 from the free-throw line – but still only trailed 61-58 in the fourth quarter when Georgia went on an 11-2 run to take a decisive lead.
American-born guard Kamar Baldwin had 12 points for Georgia, including a 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Juancho Hernangómez led Spain with 13 points in the Group C game at Spyros Kyprianou Arena.
“They deserved to win. They played way better. They played more physically than us,” Hernangómez said. “We played really, really bad … so let’s get better for the next game.”
France, playing without San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama at the tournament, eased past Belgium, 92-64, with the rest of its NBA talent on display in a dominant performance in Katowice.
Washington Wizards shooting guard Bilal Coulibaly had 12 points and seven rebounds. NBA teammate Alex Sarr provided one of the game highlights late in the first quarter, dunking off a running, behind-the-back pass from Sylvain Francisco.
“We needed to make a strong debut as a team and I think that’s what we did,” France shooting guard Isaia Cordinier said. “Everybody brings something to the team. … The danger comes from everywhere.”
Israel beat Iceland, 83-71, in Katowice, leading throughout following a 10-0 run in the first quarter. Roman Sorkin scored 31 points for Israel in their Group D opener.
Co-host Cyprus was trounced, 91-64, by Bosnia and Herzegovina.