Just as we all expected, Thursday’s EuroBasket 2025 contest between Slovenia and Poland turned into a mano a mano duel between five-time All-NBA First Team honoree Luka Dončić and former G Leaguer and 2019 NBA champion Jordan Loyd.
Dončić went off for 34 points, four rebounds, nine assists, five steals and two blocks on 7 of 14 from the field to become the first player in EuroBasket history to have 30 points, five assists and five steals in a game, but Loyd stole the show with a brilliant shot-making performance. His seven 3-pointers and 32 points powered Poland to an upset win, 105-95.
Earlier this month, Dončić’s availability for the competition was briefly called into question after he was involved in a scary collision under the basket during a warm-up game against Latvia and limped off the court. He somehow escaped injury, though, and was cleared to play for his country.
Dončić showed no signs of ill health on Thursday, and it took the Lakers star less than two minutes to get on the board after stealing the ball from Loyd. That was the beginning of a strong outing from Dončić, who generally did whatever he wanted against a Polish defense that too often had to resort to fouling him. Dončić scored 17 of his points at the free-throw line on 18 attempts.
Poland jumped out to an early lead and were in front for all but 97 seconds, however, thanks in large part to Loyd, who had one of the best performances of his career.
Loyd, who hails from Chicago, went undrafted in 2016 after playing collegiately at Furman and the University of Indianapolis, and spent time in the G League and Israel before signing a two-way deal with the Toronto Raptors. Though he only played 12 games with the Raptors, he made his mark in Toronto.
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Loyd can be seen crouching next to Kawhi Leonard in the famous photo of Leonard waiting to see if his buzzer beater to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their 2019 second-round series would go in. He also played the role of Stephen Curry for the Raptors’ practice squad ahead of and during the 2019 NBA Finals, which the Raptors won in six games over the Golden State Warriors to capture their first and only championship.
Since leaving the Raptors, Loyd has excelled overseas. He’s played in Spain, Serbia, Russia, France and Israel, winning titles and racking up accolades along the way. Earlier this month, Loyd was granted Polish citizenship to suit up for the country’s national team. That decision is already paying off.
Loyd looked an awful lot like Steph Curry again Thursday as he poured in difficult shots from all over the floor. He was flying off screens into catch-and-shoot triples, draining step-backs and pulling up in transition. If it wasn’t for foul trouble, which limited him to 27 minutes, he easily could have pushed for a 40-point night.
As it was, Loyd’s 32 points were the most by a Polish player at EuroBasket since Dariusz Zelig scored 33 against Czechia in 1987. Loyd went 7 of 8 from behind the arc to lead Poland’s incredible 3-point display. As a team, Poland shot 14 of 26 (53.8%) en route to their upset victory.
Dončić and Slovenia will be in action again Saturday at 11 p.m. ET against France, while Loyd and Poland will play Israel on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
