After the loss to Croatia, despite his triple-double, Luka Doncic expressed gratitude to the Dallas Mavericks
By Antonis Stroggylakis/ [email protected]
Slovenia great Luka Doncic thanked the Dallas Mavericks for giving him the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Qualifiers and represent his beloved national team once more.
“I want to thank Dallas for letting me play,” Doncic said in the post-game presser after Slovenia’s blowout loss to Croatia in their opener for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament of Piraeus. “They never had a problem with this. They always know I’m going to play. It’s a big honor for me.”
Doncic has never skipped a summer tournament in the last few years. In 2021, he joined Slovenia for the Olympic Qualifiers in Kaunas, Lithuania, and helped his team secure a spot in the Tokyo competition. He participated in the 2022 EuroBasket and will lead the team in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
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This year, Doncic would not pass up the opportunity to represent Slovenia in the Olympic Games again. Only this time, he achieved it under particularly difficult conditions, during a lengthy postseason run in which he played hurt and in pain.
His discomfort appears to have persisted and was obvious at times throughout the game against Croatia. However, no amount of physical exertion can overcome his desire to wear the Slovenia shirt.
“It’s normal for me to play for my country,” Doncic explained. “Obviously, a lot of times there’s going to be injuries.”
Doncic also got barely any rest after finishing the season with the Mavs. He played in Game 5 of the NBA Finals vs. the Boston Celtics on June 17 and then joined the Slovenia training camp just a week afterward.
“I just feel a big honor to play for my country. We are two million. To represent my country means everything for me,” he added.
Doncic recorded a triple-double against Croatia, scoring 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in 36:56. Nonetheless, he shot 8 of 23 from the field and finished with a triple-double while Croatia had already built a 20-point lead and was on its way to a comfortable victory.
Doncic struggled from the start of the game, particularly when it came to connecting with the basket. Despite getting to his sweet places and making some of his customary shots, he concluded the first quarter 1-9.
“My shots… terrible,” Doncic commented.
Meanwhile, Croatia dominated from the start, taking a 31-16 advantage. Slovenia was never able to stop the Croatian machine, which went on to win 108-92 behind a triple-double of 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists from NBA free agency forward Dario Saric.
“I think Croatia played great,” Doncic admitted. They outplayed us. Our defense wasn’t good. We got to work on our defense. Starting with me. We got to play better than this. And we got to play with better energy.”