Bulls' Goran Dragic's EuroBasket run ends in quarterfinals

Goran Dragić’s EuroBasket 2022 run is over.

On Wednesday, Poland delivered a stunning upset in the quarterfinal round, outscoring Slovenia, home of newly signed Chicago Bulls guards, by a score of 90-87.

The game hardly followed the traditional script. Bolstered by a hellish 3-point shot and a series of fast-break buckets from Slovenian turnovers, Poland built a 23-point first-half advantage and she led 58-39 at the break.

Slovenia then responded 24-6 in the third quarter and continued their onslaught into the first half of the fourth quarter, leading 73-68 with 6:58 remaining.

However, Poland fought back and regained the lead by 8 points at the 2:37 mark and 9 points with 52 seconds remaining. Multiple Slovenian gasps – at the 31-second mark, dragic’s layup was interrupted at the end, cutting the deficit to 3 he cut – threatening an unlikely finish, but just before the final horn Klemen his Half-court by Preperić his heave was lacking. Results written in stone.

Denver Nuggets forward Vlatko Kanchal led Slovenia with 21 points. Luka Doncic usually excelled in international play, posting 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but he also committed six turnovers and shot 5-for-15 from the field, scoring 3:00. I fouled out in 02 regulation.

Meanwhile, Mateusz Ponitka made headlines for the Polish effort. He hit his double with his triple of 26 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, filled five of his 3-pointers and gave Dragic his charge with 69 seconds remaining.

Dragic, who returned from retirement from international play to participate in the Slovenian run, finished the final game with 17 points (7-of-15 shooting), 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 turnovers, averaging a tournament average of 14.9. 3.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 turnovers and 1.6 steals in seven games. He shot 49.4 percent from the field, 3-pointers 35 percent from range, and free throws 65 percent from his line.

Dragic IQ level: 🤯#eurobasket X # bring noise

📺https://t.co/XA74VljBO4 pic.twitter.com/bQVrTXaHQa

— #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) September 14, 2022

Overall, it was a solid showing from the age of 36, albeit a sour end for a team that many had pegged as overwhelming favorites. He won the MVP for leading him to the EuroBasket title.

Poland will face France in the semi-finals, while Germany and Spain loom over the bracket to set up an amazing final four. Nikola Jokic’s Serbia and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece were also eliminated in the quarter-finals.

About Dragic: His focus has now shifted to the start of the NBA season. Training his camp begins in the final week of September, and points his guard Lonzo he is expected to contribute to the Bulls’ backcourt before Ball kicks off the campaign.

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