Luka Doncic is breaking new ground with his performances for Slovenia at the Olympic Games, according to Japan coach Julio Lamas.
Slovenia have two wins from two in Pool C, with Doncic dominating against both Argentina and, on Thursday, hosts Japan.
The Dallas Mavericks superstar had 48 points on his Games debut and added 25 more in the 116-81 defeat of Japan, as well as seven rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals.
These performances follow on from another outstanding NBA season, in which Doncic scored 27.7 points per game in the regular season – sixth-most in the league – and improved further in the playoffs.
Doncic's only two postseason series to date have been defeats to the Los Angeles Clippers, but he has now averaged 33.5 points in 13 games – no player in the history of the NBA has scored more per game in 13 career playoff games or more.
The 22-year-old's immense talent has translated superbly to the international stage, too, with Lamas describing Slovenia as "a very complete team with one amazing player". They have won all 15 games he has played for his country in all competitions.
"Doncic is one of the best four or five players in the world right now, even in the NBA," Lamas said.
"But he plays very comfortable in FIBA with the spaces and the rules – he dominates, too. Some other NBA players feel uncomfortable sometimes in FIBA. He is not.
"It's not easy to have a plan [against Doncic] because he is excellent in all the game situations. He can score driving, shooting or post-up and he creates the game for all the other players.
"I don't see in the last 30 years one player dominate the game like he has in this tournament.
"It's not nice [to face Doncic]. When you lose, you're never happy. But I think it's a good experience to play one time against him. I will remember."
Argentina coach Sergio Hernandez, the last man to attempt to halt Doncic, described him as "the best player in the world", and his Slovenia team-mates agreed after another show of strength.
"He's our leader," said Jaka Blazic. "For me, he's the best player at the Olympics and also in the world. We just follow him, everybody knows his role and that's important in a winning team."
Zoran Dragic, who played with Doncic's father Sasa for Slovan, added: "It's crazy, because when I was playing I was playing with his father, too, he was like six, seven years old, and now he's one of the best players in the world.
"I'm happy that I can witness and play with him. He's such an awesome guy and, especially, it's so easy to play with him because he is just an unbelievable person and basketball player. We can be all happy that he's Slovenian."
Nuggets sign Jamal Murray to $208M max extension
The Denver Nuggets and star guard Jamal Murray have agreed to a four-year, $208million max contract extension, multiple media outlets reported Saturday.
Murray had been scheduled to be a free agent next offseason but will now earn a total of $244million through the 2028-29 season.
Murray, 27, has emerged as the primary sidekick to three-time MVP Nikola Jokić and helped the Nuggets win the franchise’s first NBA championship in 2023.
Since returning from a torn ACL that cost him the 2021-22 season, Murray has emerged as one of the premier perimeter scorers in the NBA and a seamless fit with Jokic.
Murray averaged 21.2 points and 6.5 assists last season while shooting a career-high 42.5 percent from 3-point range.
Over 469 career games, all with Denver, Murray has averaged 17.5 points and 4.5 assists.
Murray has two 50-point play-off games and has averaged 24.2 points over 65 career post-season games.
The offseason spending of the Nuggets’ front office has become a controversial topic since they elected not to re-sign Bruce Brown and Jeff Green after winning the 2023 championship. This offseason, starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left in free agency to sign with the Orlando Magic.
With several veteran role-players leaving over the last two seasons, the Nuggets will rely even more on the two-man game between Murray and Jokić, as well as younger players like Christian Braun and Peyton Watson.
Thompson set to seal Cavs return
The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a one-year deal for the return of free agent Tristan Thompson, according to his agency.
Thompson, who spent his first nine professional seasons with the Cavs and is represented by Klutch Sports, played a key role in their first championship success back in 2016 alongside LeBron James.
The 33-year-old has since turned out for the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Lakers, but his best years have come with the Cavaliers.
He was the fourth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and has averaged nine points and 8.3 rebounds for the Cavaliers in 10 seasons.
Thompson was re-signed by the Cavs as a free agent before the 2023-24 season, appearing in 49 games around a 25-game suspension he received after testing positive for a banned substance.
With Thompson's impending arrival, the Cavs are hoping they can make a deeper run in the playoffs this campaign after falling to the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs last season.
They will be doing so under new management, after parting ways with J.B. Bickerstaff and bringing in Kenny Atkinson, who had been the assistant at the Golden State Warriors for the last four campaigns.
Japan 7-0 China PR: Endo and Mitoma on target in emphatic triumph
Japan kickstarted their 2026 World Cup qualifying third-round campaign with an emphatic 7-0 victory over China PR at Saitama Stadium.
Liverpool's Wataru Endo and Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma got themselves on the scoresheet to hand the hosts a comfortable two-goal advantage at half-time.
But Hajime Moriyasu's side turned on the style after the break, with a brace from Takumi Minamino followed up with goals from Junya Ito, Daizen Maeda and Takefusa Kubo.
The hosts took the lead in the 12th minute as Endo headed home Kubo's inviting corner-kick, with Mitoma adding Japan's second two minutes into time added on.
Minamino struck twice in six minutes shortly after the break, with Ito then netting his second goal in three appearances against China in the World Cup qualifiers.
The Reims attacker would turn provider for Japan's final two finishes, first teeing up Maeda before picking out Kubo, who rifled the ball beyond Wang Dalei.
Data Debrief: Samurai Blue show China the sword
Japan have now restricted their opponents to just one shot (none on target) in two consecutive matches in the World Cup qualifiers, with China registering an expected goals (xG) figure of just 0.03.
Moriyasu's side dominated the contest from start to finish, accumulating 102 final-third entries to China's 33, also recording 33 touches in the opposition's box compared to their opponents' one.
Kubo and Minamino were the pick of the bunch for Japan, recording the joint-most shots (four) and shots on target (two).
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