EuroBasket Drama: Luka Doncic and Deni Avdija’s Clutch Performances Ignite Unexpected Knockout Battles

When Luka Doncic steps on the court, you know something electric’s about to unfold—and boy, did he deliver, even with foul trouble threatening to bench him early. Battling through every obstacle, Luka poured in 26 points alongside seven rebounds and four assists, steering Slovenia past Iceland in an 87-79 thriller to punch their ticket to EuroBasket’s knockout stage. This win secured Slovenia’s spot among the 12 elite squads advancing to the high-stakes round starting this weekend—a field that includes heavyweights like Serbia, Turkey, and France. Meanwhile, Israel, powered by Portland’s Deni Avdija’s 22-point gem, clinched their berth too, adding to the drama of this turning point in the tournament. Tight battles loom, especially with Montenegro eyeing a win over Great Britain to join the fray, and Estonia facing a do-or-die clash against Portugal. With star performances flying in from every corner—and some heartbreak for squads like France losing Alex Sarr to injury—this EuroBasket stage is heating up like never before. Stay strapped in, ‘cause the knockout rounds promise fireworks you won’t wanna miss! LEARN MORE

Luka Doncic wasn’t going to let a little foul trouble keep him and Slovenia out of the final 16 of EuroBasket.

A game that started with Doncic in foul trouble saw him finish with 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lead Slovenia to an 87-79 win against Iceland.

With the win, Slovenia became one of the 12 teams to guarantee its spot in the 16-team knockout round that starts this weekend. Another team to clinch its spot was Israel, which picked up a 92-89 win against Belgium behind 22 points from Portland’s Deni Avdija.

The 12 teams that have qualified for the knockout round are:

• Serbia
• Turkey
• Latvia
• Germany
• Finland
• Lithuania
• Greece
• Italy
• Poland
• Israel
• France
• Slovenia

That group is likely to be joined by Nikola Vucevic and Montenegro, provided it can beat winless Great Britain in its final game. The biggest game may come on Wednesday when Estonia takes on Celtics’ center Neemias Queta and Portugal: Winner advances to the round of 16, loser goes home.

In other action on Tuesday, the Knicks’ Guerschon Yabusele had a monster game, scoring 33 with six rebounds and a couple of blocks in France’s win over Poland.

In less good news for France, a team already without Victor Wembanyama or Rudy Gobert for this tournament, Wizards big man Alex Sarr is out for the remainder of EuroBasket with a calf injury.

Through four games of the group stage of EuroBasket, the top five scorers are:

1) Luka Doncic, Slovenia, 31.3
2) Lauri Markkanen, Finland, 29
3) Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece, 29
4) Jordan Lloyd, Poland, 25.8
5) Dennis Schroder, Germany, 22.3