What a sumptuous duel! A little over a year after its victorious semi-final at the Tokyo Olympics, the France team returned to Slovenia on Wednesday for the last Eurobasket group match. Difficult scorers from Bosnia and Herzegovina the day before (81-68) the day before, Evan Fournier and his teammates showed great things but had to bend before the phenomenal address of Luka Doncic, author of 47 points. They finish 3rd in their group and will face Turkey on Saturday in the round of 16.
What you must remember
Already qualified for the round of 16, which will take place on Saturday, Vincent Collet’s players needed to be reassured before the rest of the competition. It missed. Winners on the wire (90-89) of this same Slovenia during the last semi-final of the Games thanks to an unforgettable against Nicolas Batum, the Blues are a little missed out on their last meeting of the group stage . Defeated, they will now turn to Turkey.
Very well started (14-3, 5th), they then come up against the phenomenal address of Luka Doncic. The leader and back of the Dallas Mavericks brings his team back to his own, which takes the lead at the end of the first quarter (19-20). Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert are doing everything possible but the 23-year-old Slovenian prodigy is unstoppable. He causes the opposing faults and connects the baskets: 27 points out of the 44 of his team at the break (40-44). Supernatural!
The sequel is a little better on the French side. Terry Tarpey and Amath M’Baye regain their agility, immediately imitated by Rudy Gobert. The pivot of the Minnesota Timberwolves team allows his team to pick up the score, and even go back in front thanks to Thomas Heurtel (57-56). But we still have to hold on. Neck and neck (67-68), the Blues crack in front of the opponent (67-74) then come back again (82-82). But in the money time, Slovenia does not tremble. Conversely, Elie Okobo misses his attempt and Evan Fournier gets angry with the referees. The luck of the Blues has passed.
Player: Luka Doncic
How could it be otherwise? The Dallas Mavericks player delivered a veritable recital against France: 47 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 13 fouls. In terms of points scored, it is of course the best performance for the moment of this Euro, and even the 2nd in the entire history of the competition. The best in a match remains the work of the Belgian Eddy Terrace with 63 points against Albania in 1957. Another time, another adversary. This Tuesday, the Slovenian had already delivered a copy above the lot against Germany (88-80 victory) with 36 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. He is already the man of this Euro.
The action: Vincent Poirier’s fault on Doncic
If the extra-terrestrial Doncic was without question the man of the match, Vincent Poirier could have been his executioner. There are still a few seconds to play when, in the fight under the Slovenian basket, the pivot of Real Madrid jumps higher than everyone. He recovers the orange ball with both hands and his elbow hits Luka Doncic’s head on the way down. The Slovenian rolls on the ground. The referees spend long minutes on the monitor to dissect the action from all angles and decide to whistle an anti-play foul against the Frenchman, i.e. two free throws and possession for the opponent. Returned a little groggy to the locker room, we feared a premature exit. Doncic returned without damage. The rest, we know.
The phrase
Amath M’Baye, at the microphone of Canal +: “It’s a big frustration, we’re going to blame ourselves. There are a lot of things we could have done better. We will have to quickly refocus and move on. »