Japan – Slovenia

Friendly Game
Tokyo, August 19, 8:00 CET

With Luka Dončić back in the team, the Slovenian basketball players will be ready for a good attacking performance against Japan in Tokyo, in an important World Cup preparatory match.
The injury of NBA superstar Dončić was not of a serious nature - and with him in the squad, Slovenia is one of the most dominant national teams in attack today. The Slovenians are a team that finds a way to play effectively in transition, but also allows opponents a large number of easy shots, so teams usually get a chance to express themselves in their matches. An excellent example is the victory of Slovenia over Montenegro 104:100 in a friendly game played on August 8.
In the previous defeat against the Americans 92:62, in a duel played on August 12 in the Spanish city of Malaga, Doncic did not play. Before that, the Slovenians lost to Spain 99:79, the day before - so it is clear that this team has obvious problems in defense that any rival can exploit.
Japan, on the other hand, got great news – their NBA player Yuta Watanabe did not seriously injure his right ankle. Behind him is a solid season with the Brooklyn Nets, so far the best since the beginning of his career in the strongest league in the world. With forward Watanabe in the lineup, Japan is a team that can score a decent number of points against rivals like Slovenia. One gets the impression that the lack of top options in positions under the hoop is the problem for both teams. It is to be expected that the guards and forwards of these rivals will be in a good mood in this friendly match.
In the previous game played in Tokyo, Japan was defeated by France 88:70. Watanabe did not participate because of injury, and yet Japan managed to play decent offensive basketball for two and a half quarters, against one of the best defensive teams in the world. It is certain that against Slovenia the home team will have a more pronounced and high-quality score in attack than against France.
The Slovenians lost 98:91 against Greece during the preparations, and a match of a similar pace, with a large number of shots in the early phase of the attack, is now expected against Japan.
On the other hand, Japan also had problems in defense against some lower-quality teams this August, against New Zealand they lost 94:75 in the match played on August 4.
Doncic, despite the overall bad results of the national team in the preparatory period (two wins with four losses), announced again an attack on the title at the World Cup this summer (starts on August 25). This means that already from this match with Japan, a serious approach and precision in the implementation of the offensive game plan is expected. Also, it is expected that there will be no calculations with the minutes of important players - but that the national teams will perform in the rotation expected for the matches of the planet's championship.
Both teams are currently looking for an impressive attacking performance, and this match is an ideal opportunity for that, regardless of the outcome. Slovenia will surely win, but at this moment it is ungrateful to forecast the potential difference in points - because the Slovenians are playing away, after a long journey from Europe and they need time to get used to the difference in time zones.