If the Mavericks are going to be represented in the EuroBasket final four, it will be up to Luka Dončić to make it happen.
Dallas’ other connection in the tournament, guard Tyler Dorsey fueled excitement about his potential role with the Mavericks with his play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Greece national team.
But the Greeks’ run in EuroBasket came to a rough end on Tuesday, when host Germany, playing in front of a strong home crowd in Berlin that included Dirk Nowitzki, ousted Greece with a 107-96 victory.
Dorsey, whose 3-point shooting had been strong throughout the tournament, had a 13-point first half and the Greeks were ahead 61-57 at halftime.
However, Germany started the second half with an 18-1 blitz and their lead got as large as 15 points. They were up by 13 early in the fourth quarter when Antetokounmpo tried to take over.
The Greeks got as close as 87-78, but a 9-2 sprint by Germany made it a 16-point game with under six minutes to play and Greece was on life-support. The party was on in Germany, which extended the lead to 21 points with under four minutes to go and Antetokounmpo ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Dorsey had been sizzling early, but went scoreless in the second half.
Nevertheless, his performance in seven EuroBasket games was impressive. He averaged 13.6 points and shot 40.5 percent from 3-point range.
That bodes well for his chances to contribute when he arrives for Mavericks’ training camp in two weeks.
While the Greeks were disappointed, a German team laden with NBA players will advance to the final four, as will Spain, which beat Finland on Tuesday. Dennis Schroder had 26 points for Germany, Daniel Theis had 13 and 16 rebounds while Franz Wagner hit 5-of-7 3-pointers and had 19 points.
We’ll find out Wednesday if Luka Dončić can give the Mavericks a representative in the final four of Europe’s biggest basketball event short of the world championships and Olympics.
Dončić will attempt to lead Slovenia into the semifinals on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., Dallas time. The Slovenians play Poland, which does not have an NBA player on its roster but beat Ukraine in the round of 16.
The game can be seen on ESPN+.
The Slovenians are 6-1 in the tournament and 15-1 in international competition when Dončić has suited up for them. He is second in EuroBasket scoring at 28 points per game, one point behind Antetokounmpo. But Luka has been on a tear, scoring at least 35 points in each of the last three games.
Twitter: @Esefko
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