In today's match against France, Team Slovenia took an eight-point loss in a close, hard-fought battle (103-95). In a game of intensity, competitiveness, and a little bit of controversy, Luka Doncic did everything he could to get the win, but not even he could slow down the French, who shot 47.8% from the field. After the buzzer, Doncic expressed mixed emotions as he struggled to digest his team's second-straight defeat.
"Boys did a good job, everyone who stepped on the pitch gave their all," said Luka. "Like I said, France is a great team; unfortunately, we lost, but now we have to learn something from this defeat. I know I lose my temper sometimes, but I try to help the team. I do it all out of goodwill, and no one wants anything bad, but I think we are getting better every day."
It was another spectacular performance from the Lakers guard, who dropped 36 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds on 19-of-20 shooting from the free-throw line. He's been on fire in EuroBasket this year, and his play alone was nearly enough to carry his team over the top, as the two teams were tied at 83-83 with four minutes to go in the fourth. Luka and his squad move on to face Belgium next, and they'll need to squeeze out a win there or the situation could get dire.
Of course, the biggest story of the game was actually something that happened seconds before the buzzer, and it nearly caused an altercation on the spot. Fortunately, both teams were able to maintain control, but Luka did have something to say about it after the game.
Luka Responds To Viral Final-Second Controversy
It was one moment between Luka and French point guard Sylvain Francisco that caught everyone by surprise. With seconds left and players beginning to ease up for handshakes, Francisco tricked Doncic by going for a last-second layup when he dropped his guard.
In the tournament, point differential matters as it can serve as a tie-breaker between teams who finish with the same record. So while the play made sense in terms of competition, Doncic still wasn't a fan of the way he was deceived to make it happen.
“At the end, we shook hands," Luka said. "The point difference can be important, but we shook hands. I didn’t think he’d go and score again.”
For what it's worth, Francisco did apologize to Luka afterward. While he doesn't have regrets over going for the bucket, he doesn't agree with going for the handshake beforehand.
“I said I was sorry. I actually went to shake hands and go to the layup like I said to Luka,"said Francisco. "The only thing that I really regret is just shaking hands. I should have told him to play defense because I was going for the points. We’ve got a point differential, which is really important in EuroBasket. At the end of the day, I would never do that, but I take full responsibility for it.”
Needless to say, it was an eventful night in EuroBasket, which gave us another glimpse into how serious and competitive the scene there can be. Between two deep and talented teams, games like this are to be expected, and most players are willing to blur the line of sportsmanship if it means giving their team an advantage.
With more games left to play at EuroBasket, the show is only just getting started, and there will surely be more moments like this before the tournament ends. For his part, Luka will be doing everything he can to lead Slovenia, but only time will tell how far he's able to go.
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