The Croatia basketball team suffered their fourth defeat of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where the Dallas Mavericks were better with a score of 79-71 (19-17, 22-8, 20-21, 18-25).

After Croatia nearly won against the Oklahoma Magic (84:76), where they led after three quarters but failed to keep momentum in the last, they were unlucky once again in their fourth game of the NBA Summer League against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday to lose 79-71, reports Sportske Novosti on July 11, 2019.

Roko Rogić scored 15 points and six assists to lead Croatia, while Pavel Marčinkovic, Antonio Vranković, and Mateo Drežnjak scored 12 points. Shayne Whittington with 19 points and Josh Reaves with 15 were the most efficient for Dallas, who achieved three victories in Las Vegas with one defeat.

Veljko Mršić's squad has just one game left, though the name of their opponent for the consolation games of the tournament will be revealed after the group games are completed. 

After convincing defeats to Detroit Pistons (96-80) and Brooklyn Nets (74-58), in Croatia’s last two appearances, they stoutly resisted Oklahoma City Thunder (84-76) and Dallas (79-71).

In the second half, Croatia only allowed the Mavericks to score 8 points and entered into the halftime with a 16-point advantage (41-25). 

With several positive bouts in the second half, the Croatia national team surprised the NBA side, and after Željko Šakić’s three-pointer and Roko Rogić’s free throw, Dallas's advantage was reduced to only four points in the last 60 seconds of the game. Still, the Mavericks managed to finish with a series of 4-0 to avoid total uncertainty in the end. 

“Well done, boys. We played a super second half, and we also showed character. We played to the end, gave an excellent opponent a hard time, and of the teams we played against, maybe all three will finish among the top eight in the Summer League. What we said when we came here is that the goal is to find players for qualifications, and we got much more than our predictions. This is a group of players that we can only commend. Against Dallas, we played our best match," said coach Veljko Mršić after the game.

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Croatia's second NBA Summer League game against the Brooklyn Nets ended 58:74, though the result isn't entirely reflective of Croatia, who, similarly to the first match against Detroit, managed to hold their own, reports Sportske Novosti on July 8, 2019. 

Croatia even seemed better at times than two days ago, like at the start of the second half after Antonio Vranković scored for 39:37. Although the Nets had good rhythm, Croatia figured out their flow by halftime and found a solution for the aggressive Gray and Kurucs.

The entire third quarter, unlike against Detroit, was equal, though the problems began at the beginning of the last quarter. The Nets used their speed, which Croatia was unable to follow. But even with their high intensity, Croatia looked better on the court than they did on Friday. The Nets are also competing with two players who had serious playing time in the NBA last season -  Jarrett Allen and the Latvian Rodions Kurucs. The team also features Džanan Musa, who scored 15 points.

Željko Šakić achieved a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and one assist.

“It was the same as in the first game, we did well, but we had a black hole at the beginning of the last quarter. I think we are presenting ourselves in a good light here and playing well. This is a challenge, we have young players, but in these two games, a lot was good. As far as I'm concerned, I do not feel too much of a difference except in physical strength, because I have never played a physically demanding game, but I am grateful to the coach that I'm here, I’m living the dream,” said Željko Šakić, the oldest in the team and the captain of Croatia in Las Vegas. 

Croatia's top scorer on Sunday was Antonio Vranković, who scored 12 points, and collected eight rebounds, assist and two blocks.

“We went into the game worse, but we woke and were better. The coach set up a zone, and we did our job. We were much better than in the first game; we looked better as a team, we were able to handle the game more energetically. I hope we get at least one victory here,” said Antonio Vranković.

“The attack was better on Friday, but we showed a lot of good things now. In the last 35 minutes, they only scored 56 points. We are showing from game to game that we can match up with these guys and that deserves a positive rating,” said coach Veljko Mršić.

Ermal Kuqo, a scout for the Clippers, concluded.

“The arrival of Croatia in Las Vegas is the best thing that could happen for Croatian basketball. Just look at how the players are cheering for each other, jumping from the bench. This did not happen in your team before.”

Ivica Zubac and his girlfriend Kristina could also be seen in the crowd against the Nets. Recall, Zubac just signed a $28 million contract with the LA Clippers.

“I am surprised, I watched the first game on TV, and after watching it live the guys are really holding their own.”

Croatia will play their third match of the NBA Summer League on Tuesday at 9:30 pm against Oklahoma City. According to what both teams have shown so far, this could be the first real opportunity for Croatia to get an NBA win. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

The Croatia basketball team kicked off the first day of the NBA Summer League against the Detroit Pistons. While Croatia held their own for a mostly equal match and even managed to lead by 8 points, it was Detroit to win in the end, reports HKS on July 6, 2019.

Three minutes until the end of the third quarter, coach Veljko Mršić's squad still held their own at 55:55, but the Detroit club slowly pushed their way ahead in the last quarter as Croatia grew weaker to achieve a final score of 96:80.

In any case, Croatia showed their potential and played a solid game with a strong defense. Croatia’s next game is already on July 7 at 22:00 Croatia time against the Brooklyn Nets.

The best Croatia player was Željko Šakić with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Luka Babić scored 10 points with 4 assists, Roko Badžim 9 (with 2 rebounds and 2 assists), and Marjan Čakarun and Domagoj Vuković each secured 8 points.

The most famous Detroit player and former Cedevita player Will Cherry received 13 minutes on the court,  though he did not score a single point and only managed one steal.

"It was really great, given that this was our first game here and that this league is really good. I personally thought it would be worse, but I think the first half was great. In the second half, we fell a bit, but that's the glamour and charm of all this,” Željko Šakić said immediately after the end of the game.

Coach Veljko Mršić was also pleased: "The first game after 15 days of training is behind us. In the first half, we seemed strong. Two minutes until the end of the fourth quarter, it was still equal, but after that, it was hard to maintain their better physical abilities and athleticism. However, since this was the first match and I noticed a few things during this game, I think the score is satisfactory. This is a school tour where we will see which players can respond to this game and hope that everyone will profit and in the future be better players."

Recall the NBA Summer League features all 30 NBA teams along with the national teams of Croatia and China. The preliminary round runs from July 5-11, after which the top eight teams play in a single-elimination tournament from July 13-15. The remaining 24 teams will play a consolation game on July 12 or 13. All games are held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.