Basketball
Denis LUKASHOV: “We have no right to make mistakes”
Denis Lukashov, captain of the Ukraine national basketball team, commented on his 79:72 win against Iceland in the 2023 World Cup qualifiers.
– What are your impressions of the match against Iceland?
“We are happy to win this tough victory. We understood that Iceland team played very special basketball. We felt it when we lost away in overtime. We tried to focus, we worked on mistakes, we changed a few during the match. And in the end we got a very difficult but necessary win for our team. We have the right to make mistakes. No, we just need to win to save the chance to reach the World Cup.
– Was there a special desire for revenge after the defeat in Iceland?
– Yes, of course, we were very upset and embarrassed about the defeat. When we entered the locker room after the Iceland match, we could not believe the defeat. So today we were just going to win.
– Thanks to what did you succeed in making a breakthrough and winning in the fourth quarter?
– I think it’s just because of aggressive defense. We have prepared a special defense against their leader, Elvar Friedrikson. Looking at the conversion rate and backline partner, I think we did our job. The defense gave us opportunities for quick attacks and three-pointers when we found clear shots.
– How would you rate your game, especially at the end of the game, when you already feel tired?
– I was really tired during this game. Unfortunately, Ilya Sidorov was injured and had to finish the match ahead of schedule. I think that was the turning point – we didn’t have a second quarterback to help. But there was no other chance, it was necessary to endure and keep playing.
– What are your impressions of the team’s performance in November?
– We reached our goal, we won the two wins we needed, unfortunately we couldn’t make it in the summer. It doesn’t matter who comes to the national team, what matters is who is ready and what the player is ready to do to win. The guys came and proved that they are ready to give all their strength to achieve the main goal and win.
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
On 30 November, a series of matches of the 12th round of the regular season were played as part of the EuroCup.
“Shlensk” Issouf Sanona It played away against Cluj-Napoca and was defeated in the tie game, where the leader changed 18 times. The decisive factor in the match was Miletic’s two-point shot with 2 seconds left, which gave the home team a 94:92 victory.
Sanon spent 18 minutes on the field and became the team’s most productive player, scoring 17 points (5/6 free throws, 3/6 two-pointers, 2/7 three-pointers) during this time. Issouf also had 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
“Buducnost” Alexandra Kovlyara It played at home against Türk Telekom and lost the first quarter 20:23, but won the next three quarters to achieve an overwhelming victory with a score of 91:81.
While Kovlyar played 9 minutes, he had 1 rebound and 2 assists.
European Cup. Regular season. 12th round, 30 December
Cluj-Napoca – Slensk – 94:92 (22:17, 27:34, 21:23, 24:18)
Cluj-Napoca: Russell (30 points + 7 rebounds + 7 assists), Miletic (19+14+5), Guzman (14+5+1), Molinar (13+1+4), Siser (7+6+1), Kulvetis (5+4+1), Woodbury (3+2+2), Patrick (3+1+1).
Shlensk: Sanon (17+4+4), Kirkwood (16+7+3), Djordjevic (16+9+2), Penawa (13+3+1), Niesel (8+4+3), Kulikowski (6+1+2), Urbaniak (6+7 rebounds), Czerniewicz (5+1 assists), Nunez (3+4+1), Wisniewski (1+2+1).
Budućnost – Türk Telekom – 91:81 (20:23, 24:21, 20:18, 27:19)
Budućnost: Sulaimon (25+1+1), Tanaskovic (17+13+1), Ferrell (16+4+3), Mace (15+2+5), Butey (8+2 rebounds), Mega (5), Jovanovic (2+1 rebounds), Thompson (2+3 rebounds), Butsiel (1+2 rebounds), Kovlyar (1 rebound + 2 assists).
Turk Telekom: Smith (18+1+1), Allman (17+3+4), Özdemiroğlu (12+5 assists), Bankston (9+5+1), Deveaux (7+2 rebounds), Trifunovic (6+1 rebounds), Alexander (4+5 rebounds), Durmaz (4+1 assists), Simonovic (4+4+1), Usher (3 rebounds + 2 assists).
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
Denver Nuggets announced Nikola Jokic He will miss at least four weeks due to left knee hyperextension.
The Serb is expected to miss all 18 matches in January and his maximum appearances this season could be limited to 64 matches. So Jokic will lose the opportunity to compete for the NBA’s main prizes – MVP and inclusion in the All-NBA, as this requires playing at least 65 games in the regular season.
Theoretically, he could return for the January 31 game against the Brooklyn Nets, which would give Nikola the opportunity to play 65 games before the end of the season, but that scenario is unlikely.
Jokic was injured in the last seconds of the first half of the match against Miami Heat (123:147) and did not return to the field after a long break. Before his injury, he managed to score 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in just 19 minutes.
Jokic averaged 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists per game this season.
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
Denver Nuggets announced Nikola Jokic He will miss at least four weeks due to a left knee injury.
Star center was diagnosed with left knee hyperextension. At the same time, tests confirmed that the three-time NBA MVP’s knee ligaments remained intact.
Jokic was injured in the final seconds of the first half of the 123-147 loss to the Miami Heat and limped heavily on his way to the locker room. He did not return to the site after a long time.
Before his injury, Nikola managed to produce 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in just 19 minutes on the field.
Losing Jokic could be a big blow for Denver, as starters Christian Braun (ankle injury), Aaron Gordon (hip issue) and Cam Johnson (knee injury) remain sidelined.
Jokic averaged 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists per game this season.
Injury Update: Nikola Jokić suffered a Hyperextension injury in his Left Knee in last night’s match against Miami Heat. Nikola will be re-evaluated in four weeks. pic.twitter.com/NIDmlKAN81
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 30, 2025
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
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