In what was sure to be a heated matchup between Luka Doncic's Slovenia and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Canada in the quarterfinal of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, it was Doncic who fell prey to his usual habits. With the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic routinely loses his cool whenever the whistle doesn't go his way, and that's exactly what happened for him on Wednesday morning.

Doncic, with the game getting away from Slovenia, was doing whatever he could to prop up his team's struggling offense. In the fourth quarter, he had a post-up opportunity against elite defender Luguentz Dort, who stood his ground against the Mavs star on the block. Doncic, however, felt like he was fouled as he fell onto the ground. Doncic, being the expressive person he is, was quick to complain to the officials, earning himself his second technical foul of the game and an early trip to the showers in the process.

All night long, Luka Doncic wasn't able to get into as much of a rhythm as he normally does, thanks in large part to the stifling defense of Houston Rockets wing Dillon Brooks. Brooks made it a point to get into Doncic's grill, picking him up 94 feet and denying him the ball in the halfcourt. The Mavs star, of course, made some tough shots being the great player that he is, but overall, it was a struggle.

Doncic finished Slovenia's 100-89 loss to Canada with 26 points, but on a substandard 8-20 shooting from the field. The Mavs star struggled to finish from close range, with Brooks making scoring an uncomfortable endeavor for him all night long. He finished 4-14 from two-point range, compared to a sterling 4-6 from deep. Brooks, of course, departed the game as well not too long before Doncic did for taunting — a characteristic thing for the Rockets wing to do.

This outcome isn't surprising in the slightest, as Luka Doncic and Dillon Brooks routinely finish at the top of the league in technical fouls per season. It's just unfortunate that Slovenia lost its best player during a game in the knockout stages. Now, Doncic and Slovenia will have to settle for a consolation battle for fifth place along fellow eliminated teams Italy, Lithuania, and Latvia. Meanwhile, Canada will face Serbia in the semifinals on Friday morning.