Luka Doncic’s dream of leading Slovenia to the gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics came to an abrupt end.
Doncic was lights out – as per usual – and carried his team into contention every time the French side pulled away. He was all over the court and put on a passing clinic.
Sadly, his team couldn’t get the job done as Nicolas Batum had an incredible game-saving block at the buzzer, spoiling what would’ve been yet another assist by the Dallas Mavericks superstar.
France took the game 90-89 and will now face Team USA for the gold medal, while Doncic and Slovenia will meet Patty Mills’ Australia for a chance to make the podium.
But even in the loss, Doncic was nothing short of spectacular. He recorded a 16 point, 10 rebounds, 18 assists triple-double, the third in Olympics history and the first since LeBron James in 2012, reported AP’s Tim Reynolds
“SAITAMA, Japan (AP) _ Slovenia’s Luka Doncic has recorded the third triple-double in Olympic history. The others: Alexander Belov for the Soviet Union in 1976, and LeBron James for the U.S. in 2012. But Slovenia loses at the buzzer,” tweeted Reynolds.
SAITAMA, Japan (AP) _ Slovenia's Luka Doncic has recorded the third triple-double in Olympic history. The others: Alexander Belov for the Soviet Union in 1976, and LeBron James for the U.S. in 2012.
But Slovenia loses at the buzzer.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) August 5, 2021
Luka won’t care much about this milestone as of now, though. He was visibly sad and upset after the loss but there’s no shame in losing to such a talented team like France.
Doncic’s incredible undefeated streak with his national team ended after 17 games. But no one, not even the most optimistic Slovenia fan would’ve thought that he could orchestrate such an incredible run.
Luka continues to make history and there’s no doubt that there will be plenty of more chances to take home the gold. He’s just getting started and he’ll only keep getting better.
