Luka Doncic and Slovenia suffered a devastating loss in the semifinals in the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday after France escaped, 90-89.
Les Blues marched on to the gold medal against Team USA, while Doncic and company have been relegated to the bronze medal game against Australia.
Slovenia had the chance to take the historic win, but France veteran Nicolas Batum made the game-saving block as time expired, reducing Doncic to a visible image of frustration.
After the win, Batum approached Doncic, who was still seated on the bench, and offered him words of encouragement. A few hours later, the Dallas Mavericks superstar posted a photo of his interaction with Batum, calling the France skipper a class act and a respected individual.
The 22-year-old Doncic has also commented on Batum's post on Instagram.
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It was a bitter end to what has been a stirring run for Slovenia in the Tokyo Olympics. Led by Doncic and Mike Tobey, the squad made the semifinals of the quadrennial event for the first time. Doncic, who's easily the top player of the entire tournament, has been nothing but sensational. But like in his run with the Mavericks the past NBA season, he got foiled by Batum, who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Luka Doncic registered a triple-double against France with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 18 assists. He, however, shot horribly from the field, only making five of his 18 attempts, including shooting 2-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Slovenia and Australia will battle on Friday, while France and USA will battle on Saturday.
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