Barons

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Sacramento coach Mike Brown has been lauding his team's depth all season. On Wednesday night the Kings showed it with one of their top players sidelined.
Despite Domantas Sabonis being out with an illness, the Kings extended their winning streak to five with a 116-111 victory behind 32 points from De&rsquo;Aaron Fox.
&ldquo;It was a good win by our guys. We've been saying all year we feel like we are a deep team," Brown said. &ldquo;Having that next man up mentality has been huge for us.
"Domantas is a huge part of our offense. And to have Fox step up the way he did was fantastic. When we were down, he got us back in it and when it was close, he got us some separation."
All five starters scored in double figures for Sacramento, including Richaun Harris, who started in place of Sabonis and had a season-high 16 points and 11 rebounds.
&ldquo;Domantas isn't a guy you can replace as one person,&rdquo; Harris said. &ldquo;We wanted to step up as committee and I wanted to control the glass as much as I could.&rdquo;
Harrison Barnes added 20 points and Kevin Huerter had 18 to help the Kings (25-18) move into third place in the Western Conference.
It is also the first time since the 2004-05 season that the Kings have had at least two five-game winning streaks in a season. It had a seven-game run in November.
LeBron James led Los Angeles with 32 points and Russell Westbrook added 19. The Lakers have dropped four of five with their last three losses coming by a total of 10 points.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re definitely a ballclub that has zero room for error. We have to continue to play how we played the last couple of games and trying to play mistake-free basketball,&rdquo; James said.
The game was tied at 108 with 1:10 remaining before the Kings scored four straight points to get some breathing room. Barnes made a layup while being fouled by Westbrook and then hit the free throw with 50 seconds remaining.
Kendrick Nunn's 3-pointer got the Lakers to 112-111 with seven seconds left, but Holmes made a pair of free throws to push it back up to three.
&ldquo;Late in the game our fouling, not being disciplined, showing our hands all the way throughout the possession was pretty tough as well," Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. "We got up against the clock, a too much indecisiveness in terms of shooting it, passing it or driving.&rdquo;
Keegan Murray's dunk gave the Kings a 88-74 lead with 2:33 remaining in the third quarter before the Lakers rallied. Los Angeles made a 25-10 run over the next six minutes to take the lead.
The Lakers made four 3-pointers during the run, including two straight by Westbrook.
TIP-INS
Kings: Murray tied a season high with 10 rebounds. ... Guard Matthew Dellavedova also missed the game due to a stomach issue. ... Fox has at least 20 points in a half eight times this season, including twice in the first half.
Lakers: James had seven of his nine assists in the fourth quarter. ... Nunn had 14 points off the bench, including four 3-pointers. ... Westbrook was called for a technical early in the second quarter after being called for traveling. ... Los Angeles had a 14-point lead late in the first quarter but trailed 61-60 at halftime. .. Wenyen Gabriel (10 points) has scored in double figures in four straight games.
&nbsp;

The Kings extended their winning streak to five with a 116-111 victory over the Lakers behind 32 points from De’Aaron Fox.

Kings beat Lakers 116-111 for 5th straight victory

The WNBA has announced a $75 million capital raise &mdash; the largest-ever for a women&rsquo;s sports property.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/FOS/status/1489219199612424193" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Front Office Sports</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The report adds that those who invested will each receive an equity stake in the league, the first time the WNBA has ever done such a raise. The league has seen tremendous growth in recent years. This past year's WNBA Finals averaged 548,000 viewers on television, up 63% from 2020.&nbsp;
Official press release:
NEW YORK &ndash; The WNBA announced today the largest-ever capital raise for a women&rsquo;s sports property, featuring new investors and existing WNBA and NBA owners. &nbsp;This groundbreaking transaction is part of a multi-faceted financial growth strategy designed to generate new revenue through increased investment in priority areas as part of the league&rsquo;s long-term business transformation.
Proceeds from this transaction are expected to be used for brand elevation and marketing; globalization of the WNBA; innovation, digital, and growth of consumer touchpoints; and human capital and operational optimization as part of an overall effort to address some of the league&rsquo;s obstacles to growth and generating new revenue.
&ldquo;We are incredibly fortunate to be able to capitalize on the current momentum around women&rsquo;s sports and are grateful to the investors who have chosen to support the WNBA in an unprecedented way and to our team governors who continue to invest in the players and teams,&rdquo; said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. &nbsp;&ldquo;Our strategy is to deploy this capital to continue to drive the league&rsquo;s brand as a bold, progressive entertainment and media property that embodies diversity, promotes equity, advocates for social justice, and stands for the power of women. &nbsp;Having just completed our historic 25th season, with this access to additional capital, we are setting the WNBA up for a successful future and it represents a sign and signal of the future direction of women&rsquo;s sports as a whole.&rdquo;
As part of its ongoing commitment to empowering women athletes and women&rsquo;s sports, NIKE, Inc., one of the league&rsquo;s current premier partners and inaugural WNBA Changemaker, has made a significant equity investment in the WNBA. &nbsp;Nike&rsquo;s investment further deepens the company&rsquo;s support for women&rsquo;s basketball and enables the WNBA to elevate the marketing and storytelling of WNBA athletes.
&ldquo;Women&rsquo;s sport is one of the best investments, with great potential to impact and grow the next era of basketball,&rdquo; said Sonja Henning, VP, North America League Partnerships, NIKE, Inc. &ldquo;Nike has always been more than a sponsor with the WNBA &ndash; we&rsquo;re a strategic partner. And we&rsquo;re proud to be part of a movement to redefine the future of sport for a new generation &ndash; for WNBA players, fans and girls.&rdquo;
The initial investors are: Micky and Nick Arison, Carnival Corporation and Miami HEAT; Bill Cameron, CEO and President, American Fidelity, Dallas Wings; &nbsp;Swin Cash, WNBA legend and current New Orleans Pelicans Vice-President of Basketball Operations and Team Development; Baron Davis, NBA legend; Michael and Susan Dell, Dell Technologies and minority investors, San Antonio Spurs; Karen Finerman, CEO and Co-Founder, Metropolitan Capital Advisors; Pau Gasol, NBA legend and Member of the IOC Athletes&rsquo; Commission; Ginny Gilder, Seattle Storm; Dee Haslam and Whitney Johnson, Haslam Sports Group, Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew; Linda Henry, Boston Globe, Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club; Brad Hilsabeck, former CEO, Grantham, Mayo Van Otterloo &amp; Co. and minority investor, Dallas Wings; Eric Holoman, President and CEO, EquiTrust Life Insurance, Los Angeles Sparks; Mark Walter, CEO, Guggenheim Partners, Los Angeles Sparks; Laurene Powell Jobs, Founder and President, Emerson Collective; Ted Leonsis, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment, Washington Mystics and Washington Wizards; James and Heather Murren, former Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International; NIKE, Inc; Condoleezza Rice, Stanford University and 66th US Secretary of State; Angela Ruggiero, CEO and Co-Founder, Sports Innovation Lab; Herb and Steve Simon, Fever Basketball, LLC; and Joe and Clara Tsai, New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets.
&ldquo;Susan and I are excited about the growth opportunity in women&rsquo;s sports and specifically the WNBA,&rdquo; said Michael Dell, CEO, Dell Technologies and minority investor, San Antonio Spurs. &ldquo;We also are proud to support a league that is committed to empowerment, and we look forward to supporting Cathy and all the accomplished and diverse women of the WNBA to make a positive impact in the world.&rdquo;
Both the WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors approved the transaction. Allen &amp; Company LLC served as the financial advisor for the transaction.
The 2021 season marked the WNBA&rsquo;s 25th anniversary and featured new partnerships with Google, the latest WNBA Changemaker, as well as Amazon Prime Video, Dick&rsquo;s Sporting Goods and Coinbase. &nbsp;The companies joined a growing lineup of partners led by WNBA Changemakers AT&amp;T, Deloitte and NIKE, Inc. &nbsp;The league also introduced an innovative in-season competition &ndash; the WNBA Commissioner&rsquo;s Cup &ndash; which will continue with the upcoming 2022 season.
About the WNBA
Having concluded its historic 25th season in 2021, the WNBA is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women. &nbsp;Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and social responsibility. &nbsp;Through its world-class athletes, the in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content and community outreach programs, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it.
In 2020, the WNBA and the Women&rsquo;s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) signed a groundbreaking eight-year CBA that charts a new course for women&rsquo;s basketball &ndash; and women&rsquo;s sports overall &ndash; with a focus on increased player compensation, improvements to the player experience, expanded career development opportunities and resources specifically tailored to the female professional athlete. &nbsp;Key elements of the agreement are supported through the league&rsquo;s new platform, WNBA Changemakers, with AT&amp;T, the WNBA&rsquo;s Marquee Partner and inaugural Changemaker, as well as fellow inaugural Changemakers Deloitte and NIKE, Inc, and the recent addition of Google. During the 2020 season, the WNBA and WNBPA launched the WNBA Justice Movement forming the Social Justice Council with the mission of being a driving force of necessary change and continuing conversations about race and voting rights, among other important societal issues.

The total is the highest ever for a women's sports property.

WNBA announces $75 million capital raise

The Little Guy From Bendigo doesn&rsquo;t quite roll off the tongue like Just A Kid From Akron, but like LeBron James, G League Ignite guard Dyson Daniels is trying to make his hometown famous.
It&rsquo;s apropos that Daniels is channeling his childhood hero, though his country neighborhood in Victoria, Australia is more rural and smaller than that of LeBron&rsquo;s well-known abode in Northeast Ohio. It&rsquo;s also located on another continent in another hemisphere, a place that many people in the United States have never heard about.
From news articles to funding to general support, Daniels has felt the love from his local community. So what better way to return the favor than to make it to the NBA?
&ldquo;I try not to take it as pressure, but I'm trying to do everything to get Bendigo and Australia on the map,&rdquo; Daniels told BasketballNews.com in a Zoom video interview. &ldquo;Just be the best version of me I can and do my best."
He&rsquo;s chosen to do that with the Ignite in America, as opposed to committing to college or signing with the popular National Basketball League Next Stars program close to home, a route he was extremely close to picking.
&ldquo;I was almost certain on it before I got offered to go play on the G League Ignite squad. I was almost certain on going to the NBL,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;That's obviously a very good pathway as well. We've seen it with [Josh] Giddey and a few other players.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But I think just the overruling factor was talking, having a few Zoom calls with [former Ignite] head coach Brian [Shaw] and [G League president] Shareef [Abdur-Rahim], and them telling us about the development you're gonna get on and off the court. You're gonna be busy all day doing basketball things and helping to get better life skills and stuff like that. But yeah, I think I made the right decision and I'm ready to get started."
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Just over a week ago, Daniels made the trek to America to begin a new chapter of his basketball journey in California. He&rsquo;ll be one of the standout prospects joining the likes of Michael Foster, Jaden Hardy, Scoot Henderson, MarJeau Beauchamp and Fanbo Zeng as a part of a highly-regarded Ignite squad.&nbsp;
In one of his first workouts following his arrival, Daniels got to exchange pleasantries with Jason Hart, the team&rsquo;s new head coach following Shaw&rsquo;s departure to the Los Angeles Clippers.
&ldquo;It was good to catch up with him,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;That's the first time I've ever seen him in person, but he believes in me. You've gotta earn your playing time, so when training [camp] starts, I'm gonna put in [the work] and I'm gonna make sure I earn it."
Fans and even front office decision-makers may be unfamiliar with Daniels and his skill set, as there&rsquo;s little film and box-score research that can be done on the 18-year-old. For some, that unknown factor might be cause for hesitation. Daniels, however, sees that as a golden opportunity to show what he&rsquo;s made of.
&ldquo;I try not to get in my head [and be] too involved in the mock drafts and things like that, but I guess being there, people haven't really seen me as much as some of the other guys,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;That's good for me, and I'm just here to show 'em that I'm gonna put in the work and try to get my name up top once they see me more. But yeah, ultimate goal is to go No. 1.&rdquo;
Daniels describes his game as &ldquo;unlike anyone else&rsquo;s.&rdquo; He doesn&rsquo;t model it after anybody, instead taking bits and pieces from multiple pros. Using his favorite NBA player, Russell Westbrook, as a blueprint, Daniels emulates a similar mentality. He likes to interrupt passing lanes and intercept the ball to get out into transition as his fellow Aussies, Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle, often do.&nbsp;
Defense leading to transition chances, he relays, is a signature tool in his arsenal.
&ldquo;That's how I generate a lot of my offense. I like to think of myself as just 'smart' defensively, being able to get steals, being able to guard 1-through-4, some 5,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;Get steals, play smart, rotate and generate offense then. But I'm a playmaker, I'm a big point guard, 6-foot-6, so I like to make plays off the dribble for my teammates and myself. Get into lanes and use my floaters is one of my keys.&rdquo;
Basketball News Lead NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock provided his own scouting report on Daniels:
Dyson Daniels has positional size, can create with the ball in his hands and is a terrific slasher and capable outside shooter. He has a lot of upside and is a high priority on our watch list for this upcoming season.
Once Daniels acclimates to the Ignite environment in Walnut Creek by getting to know his teammates and running through a few practices, he&rsquo;ll set more short-term objectives for himself. For now, he&rsquo;s been in the gym with trainer Jordan Lawley in L.A. to address some areas of his game that can be refined.
&ldquo;Just become a more consistent shooter, just tweaking a few things in my shot preparation that I need to do better,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;But I'm sure that's gonna come. It's come along nicely already. But that, and then tightening up my handle. I'm a bit taller [of a] point guard... some of those little guards can get in underneath you, so I'm sure that's what's gonna happen this year in the G League. Just tightening up my handle and being ready for anything are some things I'm trying to improve on.&rdquo;
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While he may have solid size and length now, it wasn&rsquo;t always that way for Daniels. Now at 6-foot-6, he argues that having to pick up skills when he was little helped him become the player he is now.&nbsp;
Daniels remembers being a small six-year-old kid playing point guard for a Division III team in a U-10 league, erratically sprinting on the floor and turning the ball over frequently. But from the day he touched a basketball, Daniels knew he was &ldquo;made for it.&rdquo; He would watch the NBA, NBL and any other hoop programming that would hit his television screen.
His father, Ricky, played two years at NC State and starred for the Bendigo Braves when he was younger. While his mom, Brikitta, has gotten Dyson right in terms of manners and keeping him in line, Ricky has helped Dyson from a young age in the backyard.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Both my parents have helped me a lot just to become the person I am,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really good to have them and I get pointers off them... My biggest support system is my family, my close friends, close coaches and things that I have like that.&rdquo;
Daniels never stopped progressing, though, and began to make Division I teams in his pre-teens. Once that started happening, it caught the eyes of coaches near and far.
When he was 15, Daniels followed in his dad&rsquo;s footsteps by joining the Braves for a season at home in 2019. It was his first taste of semi-professional basketball, and matching up with bigger bodies was advantageous. But Daniels&rsquo; stock began to soar as soon as he moved to Canberra with the NBA Global Academy later that year.
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He&rsquo;s thankful for the entire staff, from NBA international director of basketball operations Chris Ebersole and content/program development lead Marie-Laurence Archambault in New York, to the coaches, trainers and everybody involved for the chance to be a part of the program. Competing in tournaments in Europe and America was paramount to his development, and he learned crucial off-the-court lessons in addition.
"I've changed so much &mdash; the person I am, the confidence I have now, the coaching that I was able to get there was phenomenal. We had the [Centre of Excellence] coaches as well. Going in there as well [at 6-foot-2], I was a little scrawny kid. Coming out, I've got a much bigger body... I had a huge growth spurt, 6-6. That helped me 'cause I was a point guard and already had those skills; it helped me, being 6-6, to still being a point guard.
&ldquo;So just building my body, building my life skills, building my basketball. They've helped me be able to see the floor better. I think IQ's something I've always had, but they've helped me to use it more and use it to my strengths. I've just learned so much from them.&nbsp;
Daniels is poised to become the second player in NBA Academy history to be drafted. The first was fellow Aussie Josh Giddey, whom he&rsquo;s been tight with since the duo&rsquo;s U-12 days playing for Victoria. They keep in touch and congratulate one another on their successes, so Daniels was thrilled when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Giddey at No. 6 in the 2021 NBA Draft.
&ldquo;It was huge, man. I've known Josh for a while and seeing him put in the work when I was with him in the NBA Academy and then, get the opportunity to play in the NBL with the [Adelaide] 36ers and he excelled there, and he deserves every bit of it. It was really good seeing him [get drafted] and it was really good being able to play alongside him as well. That's my boy and I'm happy for him.&rdquo;
The progression for Daniels at the Academy paid off this past February, as the Australian senior national team brought him in to be a part of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. In his only game, Daniels led the team over New Zealand with 23 points, 6 steals, 4 assists and 3 rebounds.
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🇦🇺 17-year-old <a href="https://twitter.com/DysonDaniels?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DysonDaniels</a> put on a show for the Boomers in their win over New Zealand <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAAsiaCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAAsiaCup</a> 📊 23 PTS | 4 AST | 3 REB | 6 STL <a href="https://t.co/5iuKo09tK7">pic.twitter.com/5iuKo09tK7</a>
&mdash; NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA_AU/status/1363271752948744193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2021</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;That was really big for me as well. Being able to play for the Boomers in the Asia Cup Qualifiers at such a young age, some people don't get that opportunity,&rdquo; Daniels said. So obviously to be able to play, but to be able to have a really good game, that got me world looks and it helped me get to [be noticed]. [I'm] grateful for the opportunity from Adam Caporn to be able to play for the Boomers."
His momentum didn&rsquo;t stop there, either. He was a critical contributor for the Boomers&rsquo; U-19 squad in FIBA Basketball World Cup play, averaging 14.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.3 steals over seven games.
Spending time with the Boomers, Daniels has developed a relationship with former NBA veteran Matthew Dellavedova. It&rsquo;s ironic because he remembers being eight years old attending a Peak event where both ended up doing basketball drills together. Fast-forward to today, and they&rsquo;re teammates representing Australia, and Daniels gets advice from the champion guard when he asks for it.
The Little Guy From Bendigo hasn&rsquo;t done too bad for himself, and the fun part has just begun. Daniels is preparing for his first season at the professional level, which is step one toward Daniels finding himself in NBA threads come this time next year.
&ldquo;I always want to be in the gym. I always want to be the best I can. I'm sure some people have them about 'em as well, but I don't want anyone to outwork me. I want to be the hardest worker there is,&rdquo; Daniels said.
&ldquo;It's a great feeling. I think in terms of feeling ahead of people, I wouldn't say I do. There's options for everyone that they can choose, like what they want to do with their careers and that. But choosing a professional career for me, I think was the right choice, and I'm ready for it. So yeah, I'm ready to get started and I'm very excited for it.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies chats with Dyson Daniels about the upcoming G League Ignite season, his development in Australia and more.

The Little Guy From Bendigo: Dyson Daniels is unlike anyone else

SAITAMA, Japan (AP) &mdash; Patty Mills really wants no part of the talk that he turns into a different player when he puts on the uniform of the Australian men&rsquo;s national basketball team. He almost rolls his eyes when he senses the question coming.
He&rsquo;s heard it for years.
&ldquo;I am who I am,&rdquo; he said.
Here&rsquo;s who he is: The leader of an Australian team that certainly has enough talent to end the country&rsquo;s 0-for-forever medal drought in major international competition, the quarterback of a team that came to Tokyo believing it could win a gold medal, and one of the two flagbearers chosen by his nation to carry the colors into these Olympics &mdash; the first indigenous Australian to have that honor.
He is Captain Australia.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s exceptional,&rdquo; Australian teammate Nic Kay said. &ldquo;The way he leads the group on and off the court, the stuff he does behind the scenes for everyone is unreal.&rdquo;
His play in the international game tends to be exceptional as well.
&mdash; Mills has three 30-point games in his NBA career, spanning 829 contests.
&mdash; He also has three 30-point games in the Olympics, all in the span of his last 11 games on sport&rsquo;s biggest stage.
&ldquo;Just give him the ball,&rdquo; Australia&rsquo;s Dante Exum said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an amazing player.&rdquo;
Mills scored a team-high 25 points in Australia&rsquo;s 84-67 over Nigeria to open the Tokyo Games; the Boomers play Italy on Wednesday as group play continues. He was the leading scorer in the 2012 London Olympics, the leading scorer for Australia again at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, the leading scorer for the Boomers in the 2019 Basketball World Cup as well.
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These numbers don&rsquo;t necessarily support his argument that he&rsquo;s doesn&rsquo;t become better in the international game.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just the different roles that I play,&rdquo; Mills said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the easy answer.&rdquo;
And it&rsquo;s not necessarily incorrect, either. Mills is usually an off-the-bench player in the NBA, but with Australia he&rsquo;s usually the go-to and in the starting lineup alongside fellow veterans like Joe Ingles, Aron Baynes and Matthew Dellevedova.
&ldquo;Patty is being relied upon more here,&rdquo; Australia coach Brian Goorjian said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got tremendous confidence. He&rsquo;s got the ball a lot more in his hands. ... He&rsquo;s a feature for us, for sure.&rdquo;
This very easily could be the last major international event for the Australian core featuring the likes of Mills and Ingles. Mills turns 33 next month and is already up to 11 NBA seasons, the last nine of them in San Antonio.
And they&rsquo;re still waiting for the breakthrough medal.
Australia has made the bronze-medal game in the Olympics four times; it is 0-4 in those games. In a 2016 contest against Spain, Mills was whistled for a foul with 5.4 seconds remaining &mdash; replays suggested the call was questionable &mdash; and the Boomers lost on the resulting two free throws.
The team also played for bronze at the World Cup two years ago, after losing in double overtime to Spain in the semifinals and then getting outscored 42-19 in the final 16 minutes against France and blowing a 15-point lead in the bronze-medal game.
In Tokyo, the goal is simple: &ldquo;Tunnel vision,&rdquo; Mills said, on a medal.
He refuses to concede that he becomes a different player in these games. There is no argument, however, that he wants a different outcome this time.

Patty Mills always seems to step up and play his best basketball with the Australian national team.

Olympics seem to draw out Patty Mills' best: 'I am who I am'

The field for men&rsquo;s basketball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is set.
Following an unlikely victory over a Team Canada squad packed with NBA players, the Czech Republic defeated Greece and won a spot in Team USA&rsquo;s group in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament stage.
Canada&rsquo;s national team, which included Andrew Wiggins of Golden State for the first time, was eliminated by the Czechs 103-101 in overtime on Saturday night on a buzzer-beating game winner by Tomas Satoransky with 0.9 seconds left.
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🇨🇿 <a href="https://twitter.com/satoransky?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@satoransky</a> banks it to give Czech Republic the win over Canada in OT and advance to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAOQT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAOQT</a> Final! <a href="https://t.co/b6rrI4SFuu">pic.twitter.com/b6rrI4SFuu</a>
&mdash; FIBA (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1411451753271152640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Then on Sunday, the Czechs won 97-82 over Greece. The Greeks cut their deficit to five points in the third before the Czechs outscored them 29-7 during the rest of the frame. Jan Vesely had 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.
The Czechs will be going to the Olympics for the first time since the formation of their country in 1993, and it's the first time it will be a part of the Games since 1980, when it was a part of Czechoslovakia.
"They're a veteran team that took advantage of us in a lot of different areas. They dominated us on the glass 35-23, their assists were 25-12. The effort was there, but the game wasn't. But that's due to the brilliance of the Czech Republic. They were just much better than us," Greece head coach Rick Pitino said.
Keep that upset in mind when the Olympic Games begin, because strange things happen in FIBA tournaments.
Slovenia, Germany and Italy also qualified for the Tokyo Games, which begin July 24. Gregg Popovich&rsquo;s loaded Team USA plays its first game July 25 against France. The Americans are locks to get to the knockout phase, set to play the Czech Republic and Iran in the Group Phase, and their side of the quarterfinal bracket will include opponents to be determined after a draw on Aug. 2.
Based upon the qualifying tournaments, Slovenia will be one of the toughest opponents simply because they have Luka Doncic. The Dallas Mavericks star took MVP honors in Kaunas, Lithuania on Sunday after putting up a triple-double of 31 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists in front of 11,561 fans at the Zalgiris Arena in a 96-85 victory over Lithuania.
"We're making history for our country," Doncic said. "We can just go up from here."
Slovenia is going to the Olympics for the first time, knocking out a Lithuania team that has been qualifying for the Olympics and the World Championship/World Cup with regularity for three-and-a-half-decades. Doncic&rsquo;s teammates carried him off the court on their shoulders following the victory, which was fueled by a 14-0 run after Lithuania closed to 71-69.
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🎵 M-V-P, M-V-P, M-V-P! 🎵 A historic night for <a href="https://twitter.com/luka7doncic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@luka7doncic</a>, who helps 🇸🇮 book a ticket to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> with a triple-double performance! ✈️ 📊 31 PTS 11 REB 13 AST | 42 EFF <a href="https://t.co/QAXqv8AfwO">pic.twitter.com/QAXqv8AfwO</a>
&mdash; FIBA (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1411765468545753092?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2021</a></blockquote>

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"I don't care about the MVP," Doncic said. "We won here. We're going to the Olympics, the first time in our country. It's amazing. I think every kid dreams about being in the Olympics. I did, too. So, here we are. We fought really, really hard, and I think we deserve to be here."
Slovenia will play Argentina on July 26, Japan on July 29 and reigning World Cup champion Spain on Aug. 1. The top two teams in each group, plus two wild cards, will make the Olympic quarterfinals.
The qualifying tournaments were played in Canada, Lithuania and Croatia, and all of the home teams failed to qualify. Croatia did not even make it to the final game, getting eliminated by Germany 86-76 on Saturday before Germany defeated Brazil 75-64 on Sunday in the Olympic qualification game.&nbsp;
Brazil, which qualified for London 2012 and hosted Rio 2016, won its first three games by 26, 27 and 28 points, but Germany got 28 points from Moritz Wagner of the Orlando Magic and several crucial defensive possessions in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset. Isaac Bonga of the Washington Wizards did not play. Germany will be grouped with Italy, Nigeria and Australia in Tokyo.&nbsp;
The Aussies, aka the &ldquo;Boomers,&rdquo; have added Matisse Thybulle of the Philadelphia 76ers to a squad that already includes NBA players Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles, Matthew Dellavedova and Patrick Mills.
In Belgrade, Achille Polonara, who plays for Fenerbahce in Turkey, picked up MVP honors after scoring 22 points with 12 rebounds, as Italy defeated home-team Serbia 102-95 in the final match. Italy will be heading to the Olympics for the 13th time, but the first since 2004 in Athens when it picked up the silver medal after losing to gold medalist Argentina.
The Serbians took the defeat hard.
"This is not a failure, this is a disaster. We wanted to make the people happy. I have to apologize for this. With this approach and this game, we do not deserve to go to the Olympic Games,&rdquo; said Nemanja Bjelica of the Miami Heat.
Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, the MVP of the 2021 NBA season, opted not to play for the Serbian national team this summer.
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With the qualifiers over, here is the Olympic field:
<ul>
<li>Group A: United States, Iran, France, Czech Republic</li>
<li>Group B: Australia, Germany, Italy, Nigeria</li>
<li>Group C: Argentina, Japan, Slovenia, Spain</li>
</ul>
The Olympic men&rsquo;s basketball tournament begins July 24, and Team USA&rsquo;s first game will come against France at 8 a.m. EDT on July 25. The Americans play Iran on July 28 and the Czech Republic on July 31. The quarterfinals begin Monday, Aug. 2, and the gold medal game is Aug. 7 at the Saitama SuperArena.&nbsp;
Team USA opens training camp Tuesday with one of its <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/usa-basketball-announces-us-olympic-mens-basketball-team-2020-tokyo-olympics-games-japan-fiba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strongest rosters ever</a>. Alphabetically, it is Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets, Jerami Grant (Detroit Pistons), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls, Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blzers), Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks) and Jason Tatum (Boston Celtics). Gregg Popovich of the Spurs is the head coach.
On Saturday, Nigeria will play Team USA at 8 p.m. EDT at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in the first of five exhibition games before leaving for Japan. If Booker, Middleton and Holiday go to a Game 7 in the NBA Finals, they will be flown to Tokyo by the American federation in time to be ready for the first game, outgoing <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/boredom-is-one-enemy-team-usa-must-fight-at-2020-tokyo-olympics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo said last week</a>.

Chris Sheridan recaps this past weekend's qualifying round in FIBA men's basketball for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

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