On Wednesday, the heroics of Luka Doncic weren't enough as Slovenia was eliminated from the EuroBasket tournament.
Though he scored 39 points, Slovenia lost to Germany 99-91 in the quarterfinal.
Afterward, Donic was vehemently disheartened by the end result, per the Balkin-based outlet Merdian Sports and Hoops Hype.
“I'm angry, 100 percent angry,” he said. “I could have done more in the last quarter, I forced shots, I could have done better in key moments, I didn't make the right decisions… Kudos to the guys, we showed that we can win. We all fought, we gave our all .”
Additionally, Doncic said that he and his teammates hoped for more.
“It wasn't a good enough result for us, we aimed for more, but many spoke disrespectfully about us,” he said. “We are fighting for Slovenia, for the jersey, we all give 100%, kudos to everyone, we could have been on vacation, but we fought for every ball, we gave our all.”
Also, his teammates expressed their disappointment following the loss. At the same time they exuded pride in their efforts.
“We were better throughout the game, or at least 37, 38 minutes. It hurts, but I am very, very proud of this team,” said Klemen Prepelic.
Aleksander Sekulic followed suit with his message of optimism.
“I’m proud of these guys. If I could bring all 12 of the guys here (to the press conference) and give them a standing ovation, I would,” Sekulic said. “What they did this summer and in this championship, against probably the best team in this competition, and to outplay them throughout the whole game, that’s big. Unfortunately, we were not successful, but I think we can leave this championship with our heads up”.
Luka Doncic looks forward to rejoining the Lakers
Now, Doncic can look ahead to his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Earlier in the summer, Doncic signed a huge $165 contract extension.
He is looking to build off of what was a solid second half to the season following the trade from the Dallas Mavericks.
In all, Doncic ended the season averaging 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. At EuroBasket, Doncic finished averaging 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game.
