Though a win would have capped off an extremely successful offseason, Luka Doncic and Slovenia’s run in the EuroBasket Tournament is now over. The Los Angeles Lakers star had a historic showing throughout the competition, but after a loss to Germany in the quarterfinals, he and Slovenia are now out of the tournament.
Doncic finished the game with 39 points, ten rebounds, and seven assists, but even though Slovenia led for most of the night, they fell by eight points to Germany.
“Luka Doncic picked up his fourth foul just 2 minutes into the second half but remained in the game and Slovenia stayed ahead 59-52,” the official game summary from FIBA stated. “But Germany showed their defense with just 2 points over nearly 3 minutes to move ahead 96-89 with a minute to play.”
Germany won the game 99-91, Slovenia’s first loss after four-straight tournament wins. Doncic remains the highest scoring player in the competition, averaging 34.7 points per game. The Lakers star also ranks first in steals, third in assists, and eighth in rebounds at the time of Slovenia’s loss.
Luka Doncic And Slovenia Out Of EuroBasket
Germany has been one of the top favorites to win the competition, boasting a roster with numerous current and former NBA talent. Those include Franz Wagner, Dennis Schroder, Daniel Theis, Isaac Bonga, and Tristan da Silva.
Though Doncic and Slovenia were a leading storyline throughout the tournament, the Lakers star didn’t have enough to lead his team to the semifinals. Doncic is the only player on Slovenia’s EuroBasket roster currently signed to an NBA team, and just one signed to a EuroLeague roster.
Doncic’s teammates expressed frustrations with the referees after the game, saying “We cannot play basketball like this, and that’s why we lost.”
In his five tournament games, Doncic never scored less than 25 points in a game. Topped by his 42 points against Italy in the previous round, his 34.7 points per game in the tournament hold the biggest mark over his next highest scoring teammate, who happens to be Klemen Prepelic, at 10.2 points per game.
Doncic wasn’t involved in the postgame press conference made available by FIBA. In their previous win against Belgium, Doncic became the fifth player in EuroBasket history to record a triple double, finishing with 26 points, ten rebounds, and 11 assists.
Preparing For His First Full Lakers Season
After taking the tournament favorite to their closest finish of the tournament, Lakers fans can feel positive about Doncic this summer. The biggest win is Doncic leaving the competition relatively healthy, despite multiple bumps and bruises along the way.
Though the thought of Doncic playing in the tournament may have sounded risky in the first place, the Slovenian confirmed the Los Angeles was more than happy for him to play.
After his weight loss and body transformation before signing his extension, Doncic’s playing basketball for Slovenia has been a topic catching more attention than in years past. Regardless, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has made his commitment to Doncic public, meaning the team will likely do whatever it can to keep the star happy.
Earlier in the summer, before his extension was announced, Doncic made it clear to Pelinka and others in the Lakers organization that he is ready to push for championships as soon as possible.
“I had a taste of the Finals,” Doncic reportedly said over the summer. “I am getting back there. So let’s do whatever we can now.”
While the future of LeBron James remains uncertain, the Lakers are now Doncic’s team. After Slovenia’s loss to Germany, the star will now shift his focus to the 2025-26 NBA season, which opens against the Golden State Warriors on October 21st.
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