September 16 ------ Luka Doncic and the Slovenian national team bowed out of the EuroBasket 2022 on Wednesday after a gutting 90-87 loss in the quarterfinals against Poland. There were some high hopes for the Dallas Mavericks superstar and his team, but in the end, they fell short against a formidable Polish side.
After the game, a visibly upset Luka was asked if injuries played a role in his poor shooting night. At that point, Doncic admitted that he had indeed been nursing a few knocks (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter): “I don’t know, probably not a hundred percent,” Luka said. “I received an injection in the third quarter. I’ve been dealing with a lot this EuroBasket.”
Doncic finished with 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc, while also turning the ball over six times. He did manage 11 rebounds and 7 assists, though, but it just wasn’t enough. Luka Doncic made it clear, however, that he wasn’t going to use his injuries as an excuse. The Mavs All-Star owned up to his shortcomings with an emotional message: “But that’s not the reason,” he continued. “Today, I played terrible. I let my team down. I let the whole country that was supporting us down. And that’s on me. I got to look back at this game and be better.”
That’s tough. Luka Doncic has been on a tear throughout the tournament, and it’s a shame that he wasn’t at his best against Poland. A heartbroken Doncic will now head back to the United States to begin his preparations for the new season with the Mavs.
Source: rappler.com
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