Luka Doncic has been on fire at EuroBasket 2025, and he powered Slovenia to an 84-77 win over Italy in the Round of 16 on Sunday at Arena Riga. Despite the win, Doncic was visibly frustrated with his teammates at times, but he downplayed those incidents postgame and stated all is well.
“Everybody plays together and we get along well,” Doncic said. “The chemistry is top-notch. Normally, sometimes we argue, but that’s part of the sport. On the court, we just want to help each other. So, congratulations to the guys again”.
The most notable instance, perhaps, of Doncic going off on his teammates came in the second quarter. He exploded and demanded they stop bickering during a timeout.
“Please pull yourselves together, it’s a 7-point game. Stop bickering for every small thing, it’s us against them, not us against each other!”
Doncic wanted the group to come together and not point fingers at each other. They had led by as many as 19 points at one stage, and that lead had dwindled to single digits.
Slovenia would take a 10-point lead into halftime and then seemed to have this one in the bag when they were up 78-65 with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Italians still had plenty of fight in them, though, going on a 12-0 run to cut the lead to 78-77. They were the ones suddenly with all the momentum, but failed to score another point the rest of the way.
Doncic hit four free throws in that time to give Slovenia some breathing space and the win. The 26-year-old finished the game with 42 points (11-19 FG), 10 rebounds, one assist, and three steals. This was his second 40-point game of the tournament.
Doncic had 22 points in the first quarter alone and was up to 30 at halftime. The five-time All-Star has now hit that 30-point mark four times, and the last time a player had more in a single edition was Nikos Galis (five) in 1989.
For a little while, though, it didn’t seem like Doncic would get to 30 against Italy. He appeared to suffer a leg injury after a collision in the first quarter and had to go to the locker room at the end of the period.
Los Angeles Lakers fans would have had their hearts in their mouths, but Doncic was able to return. He admitted after the game that he was in pain and needed therapy, but added that he would be fine.
The Slovenian medical staff might get a helping hand from one of Doncic’s teammates during the recovery process, as Alen Omic hilariously revealed postgame that he’s willing to give a massage.
“I tell him I will do today massage to him if he wanted, to be ready for Germany,” Omic said.
Well, they certainly need Doncic if they are to topple World Champions Germany in the quarterfinals. The Lakers superstar is currently putting up ridiculous averages of 34.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 3.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in EuroBasket 2025.
Doncic has been the best player in the tournament and now has Slovenia just three wins away from the gold medal. He had previously helped his country emerge as champions in 2017, and believes they can return to the top.
