ANKARA

Slovenian basketball star Luka Doncic scored 48 points in his Olympics debut to help his nation win against Argentina 118-100 in the Tokyo 2020 Preliminary Round Group C match on Monday.

Slovenia's guard-small forward Doncic, 22, tallied 48 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists for his team in their preliminary round opener in Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo.

Argentina's 41-year-old experienced power forward Luis Scola scored 23 points to be the South American team's highest scorer.

In the next game, Slovenia will face hosts Japan on Thursday, while Argentina will play against Spain on the same day.

Doncic's historic 48 points against Argentina have now tied Australian former basketball player Ed Palubinskas (Montreal 1976). But the record holder was Brazilian Oscar Schmidt, who scored 55 points in a single Olympic game in Seoul 1988.