Saitama (Japan) (AFP)

Author of 48 points, including 31 in the first period, an Olympic record as a bonus over two quarters, the Slovenian Luka Doncic was prodigious against Argentina, guiding his team to a landslide victory (118-100) and making a thunderous entry at the Tokyo Games on Monday.

Promised to dominate the NBA where he is already a huge star, at only 22 years old, gratifying fans of the Dallas Mavericks and more generally of the orange ball of magician gestures every night, Doncic offered an exceptional recital against the powerless Argentines who saw what a basketball Maradona could look like.

Author also of 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks, the back did everything to them: baskets of tightrope walker in penetration, shoots far behind the arc, elusive dribbling, smile of angel killer as a bonus for the photo.

He thus became the best scorer in Olympic history in the first period, with 31 units in ... 16 minutes.

A recital dedicated in Slovenian flowery words, almost basket after basket, to members of the Argentinian management placed in stands who had had the bad idea to heat it up and which we did not hear at all afterwards.

At the break, the illustrious Manu Ginobili, who led the Albiceleste to the Olympic title in 2004 could not help but tweet: "A huge domination in the game by Doncic. 31 points at halftime. A beast. ".

In the second half, not without avoiding a technical fault - his small nasty fault - Doncic added without forcing 17 points in 15 minutes, before sitting on the bench to let his teammates quietly preserve the lead in the score.

In doing so, he equaled the second best performance in history at the Olympics in terms of points scored in a match, since the Australian Eddie Palubinskas had also scored 48 units against Mexico in Montreal in 1976.

The record in this area remains the property of the Brazilian Oscar Schmidt, author of 55 points against Spain in Seoul in 1988.

Thanks to its prodigy, Slovenia enters in the best way in a raised group C which also features Spain, reigning world champion, which faces Japan in the evening.

© 2021 AFP