- Luka Doncic will miss Saturday’s clash against Team USA
- The 24-year-old has been in stellar form for Slovenia so far
- Donic has been rested for precautionary reasons
Slovenia will be without the services of superstar Luka Doncic ahead of their 2023 FIBA World Cup exhibition game against Team USA.
Doncic vs. Team USA has been one of the bigger activities to look forward to apart from Dirk Nowitzki’s Hall of Fame ceremony that’s slated for Saturday night.
Both teams are coming off wins ahead of the Saturday skirmish. While the USA notched up a comprehensive 117-74 win over Puerto Rico, Slovenia registered a 104-100 win against Montenegro where Doncic starred with a 34-point performance, coupled with 13 rebounds and 14 assists.
According to Sports Illustrated:
“Luka Doncic is OUT on the second night of a back-to-back for precautionary reasons … an unfortunate, but understandable situation, as Slovenia wants him to be 100 percent for the actual World Cup games.”
This comes on the back of Slovenia’s head coach, Aleksander Sekulic talking about Doncic’s load management:
“It’s a good question, but (playing extended minutes) is one of the things you have to learn to do to get ready for,” Sekulic told The Athletic.
“Even though in the tournament there is always a day between games, nevertheless there is going to be motivation for sure. But we also have to be smart with load management for Luka. Not only him but everybody else, but of course Luka is our main player.”
Earlier, he notched 21 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in a 98-91 loss against Greece.
With the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo missing out on the FIBA World Cup, the 24-year-old Doncic was one of the star attractions and was the weekend’s biggest news ahead of their clash against Team USA which comprises his former Mavericks teammate Jalen Brunson.
Slovenia, who will play at Okinawa Arena in Japan during the group phase, open their World Cup campaign against Venezuela on August 26 before taking on Georgia on August 28 and Cape Verde on August 30.
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