The Boomers are confident they have the cattle to contain Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic when they resume their rivalry in a must-win World Cup clash.
Australia beat Slovenia to claim a historic Olympic bronze in Tokyo two years ago, the program’s first international medal after a string of gutting fourth places.
The world No.3 Boomers’ sights are set on gold at the World Cup but to get there they’ll have to find a way past Doncic on Friday and then Georgia on Sunday in two must-win, second-round games in Okinawa, Japan.
Doncic is the tournament’s leading scorer, averaging 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in just 31 minutes per game.
That includes a quiet night against Cape Verde on Wednesday, Doncic scoring 19 in a comfortable win when their spot in the second-round was already assured.
And, worryingly for Australia, the 24-year-old has made just 24 per cent of shots from long range.
“We know who Luka is and how good he is,” emerging Boomers star Josh Green, a teammate of Doncic’s at the Dallas Mavericks, said.
“We’ll do our work, do our film and follow the game plan.”
The pair had a bet before their Tokyo encounter, Doncic forced to parade in a Boomers singlet when Australia prevailed.
“We haven’t come up with a bet yet, that’s still in the air,” Green said after his side booked their second-round berth with a win over Japan.
“There is history, but it’s about what’s going to happen on Friday and I think we’ll be ready to go.”
Athletic defenders Green and Matisse Thybulle will likely be tasked with curbing Doncic’s influence, while the side has 20-year-old Josh Giddey at point guard in a different look to what Slovenia experienced in Tokyo.
“We know them from the Olympics two years ago, but I think they have a little bit of a different team,” Slovenian coach Aleksander Sekulic said.
“They belong (among) the teams competing for the medal. They have this athleticism and experience, I think nine NBA players. It’s going to be a very interesting game.”
Giddey has built into his first major tournament, admitting he and the side learnt plenty from a three-point loss to Germany.
“Obviously a lot of people are here to see him,” he told ESPN of Doncic.
“He carries a heavy load for Slovenia, so a lot of our game plan is going to revolve around him.
“We’ve had the opportunity to play against these teams where they have a superstar or an NBA player, so Luka is obviously on a different level, but we’ve got Josh Green, Matisse – those types of guys – for that job. We’ll be ready for it.”
© AAP
Build your own ultimate team! Pick your key players and take a shot at big cash prizes every day with Draftstars. For great odds on NBA games every day head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
The Lakers’ decision to fire coach Darvin Ham just days after their first-round exit is merely the beginning of what will be a flurry…
Pat Beverley missed the fan he was intending to hit with his first throw late in the Bucks' season-ending loss - then went again!
If people can lose their job, and clubs can face massive payouts, due to the behaviour of coaches, it will drastically change the way sporting teams in Australia will be run.
A Serbian, a Canadian, a Slovenian and a Greek fellow walked into a bar … Well, they’ve actually walked into the NBA and now…
Nikola Jokic has scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead defending NBA champions Denver past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers…
There will undoubtedly be upset results here and there in the NBA playoffs but there’s an overwhelming sense of fait accompli that Boston will…
