- Slovenia crashed out of the 2023 FIBA World Cup after their quarterfinal loss to Canada
- Luka Doncic was ejected in the fourth quarter of the game
- Donic expressed his disappointment with the officiating
Slovenia superstar Luka Doncic was not a pleased man following the team’s ouster against Canada. And he didn’t mince his words to express his displeasure with the officiating during the all-important 2023 FIBA quarterfinal between the two teams.
Speaking to the media in the aftermath of the 100-89 loss to Canada, during which he was ejected, Doncic shared his frustrations:
“The referees told one of the guys: ‘We’re not gonna call a foul on [Dillon Brooks] because he’s coming at us.’ … I know I complain a lot, but I don’t think it’s fair.”
"The referees told to one of the guys: 'We're not gonna call a foul on [Dillon Brooks] because he's coming at us.' … I know I complain a lot, but I don't think it's fair."
Luka Doncic on the officiating in the Slovenia-Canada game 👀pic.twitter.com/l8xWy0Jv3n
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 6, 2023
Doncic was shown the door midway through the fourth quarter after he received his second technical foul when he appeared to flop as he tried to draw after being double-teamed.
The guard ended his run in the tournament with a 26-point performance coupled with 4 rebounds and 5 assists. That though wasn’t enough to match Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists), and RJ Barrett (24 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 assist).
Luka Donic Had High Respect For Dillon Brooks
Despite his grouse with the officiating, Luka Doncic didn’t hold back when it came to lavishing praise on Dillon Brooks, who was ejected as well.
Despite his good start to the game, Brooks was ejected for taunting and for his unsportsmanlike conduct elbowing Zoran Dragic.
When asked about being guarded by Brooks, Doncic said he had respect for the way the latter went about his business.
“He’s very physical like he always does. A lot of people don’t like him, but I respect him for what he does. And he does that stuff really good.”
"He's very physical, like he always does. A lot of people don't like him, but I respect him for what he does. And he does that stuff really good."
Luka Doncic on being guarded by Dillon Brooks
(via @naveenganglani)pic.twitter.com/hy1kKtAGO6
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 6, 2023
Brooks ended his evening with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. The boos and the jeers from the crowd didn’t stop him for the first three-quarters of the game, but he did eventually pay the price for his actions over the course of the game.
With Slovenia’s FIBA Run Done, All Eyes Will Be On Luka Doncic And The Upcoming NBA Season
Now that Luka Doncic and Slovenia are done with their 2023 FIBA World Cup, the focus will shift to the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks.
Despite Doncic’s stellar MVP-level run, and Kyrie Irving’s 20-game blitz following his blockbuster trade from the Brooklyn Nets, the Mavericks failed to make the playoffs.
One of the biggest challenges for the Mavericks is their defense, which can rightfully be called lackluster at best.
Over the last 30 games of the season, the team had a defensive rating of 118.1, as per the NBA, which is ranked 25th — pretty much at the bottom of the league.
A backcourt of Doncic and Irving was always going to struggle defensively and losing Dorian Finney-Smith in that Irving trade just further compounds their woes.
While the addition of Grant Williams and Dereck Lively II provides a temporary fix, they will have to make some concrete moves ahead of the season if they intend to make the postseason and prove their doubters wrong.
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