MANILA - Luka Doncic surprised even his Slovenia head coach, Aleksander Sekulic, with his inspirational performance as the NBA superstar found the energy to lead and motivate the team.
Doncic played 37:07 minutes and collected 29 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals in a 100-84 loss to Lithuania in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Classification 5-8. That showing came less than 24 hours after Slovenia fell to Canada in the Quarter-Finals.
"Luka is very competitive. I don't know where he found the energy, but he told me he is feeling great and wants to play," said Sekulic, who was asked what the reasoning was in playing Doncic so long.
"He was also our best man regarding energy. He was trying to motivate everybody to get them to another level. We were not at the level we wanted to be, and he was trying hard in the game, in the timeouts, in the locker room - all the time trying to push them to their limits. That's why he played - because he felt good. This showed his character and that he likes basketball."
Doncic seemed to be in better spirits against Lithuania than he was in the loss to Canada.
He signed autographs for fans and took selfies before the game. He demonstrated more of the flash that his fans love so much. And every time Doncic did something great, the crowd of 11,003 at the Mall of Asia Arena went wild.
"Everybody knows that he's one of the best, if not the best, player in the world. For sure, it's a lot of pressure on him and everything, but today, he showed again why he's one of the best players. He leads the team," said 29-year-old veteran Gregor Hrovat about the Slovenian captain. PR