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    Luka shows commitment to Slovenia, plays 37 minutes in no-bearing game

    Luka also tried to repay Filipino fans who came out to watch him, says Slovenia coach
    Sep 8, 2023
    Luka Doncic Slovenia vs Lithuania
    PHOTO: Jerome AscaƱo

    CONSIDERING that the game was already non-bearing, Luka Doncic still played heavy minutes for Slovenia and still delivered in their classification game against Lithuania.

    Doncic had 29 points, six rebounds, and three steals in Slovenia’s 100-84 defeat against Lithuania, yet he still played 37 out of the possible 40 minutes in the contest.

    The Dallas Mavericks star didn’t shoot the ball particularly well after a 7-of-21 output from the field. He only made 4 of his 13 threes in the game.

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    Doncic was thrown out of Slovenia’s game against Canada on Wednesday and was knocked out of contention not just for a medal in the World Cup but also one of the spots of Europe in the Olympics.

    READ: Double whammy as Luka Doncic ejected in Slovenia loss to Canada

    Even though nothing was really at stake in Thursday’s game, Filipino fans still came out with the official crowd attendance at 11,003, which amazingly is just a shade below the 11,710 fans that watched the Canada game a day after.

    It is even more than the 9,764 that attended United States’ quarterfinal win over Italy last Tuesday.

    Head coach Aleksander Sekulic believes that the fans were one of the reasons for Doncic’s desire to play a lot of minutes.

    “Luka is very competitive,” said Sekulic. “I don’t know where he found energy but he told me that he was feeling great and he wanted to play. He was our best man regarding the energy. He was trying to motivate everybody to put them on another level.

    “I think we were not level that we wanted to be and he was trying hard in the game and in the timeouts and in the locker room to push them to their limits. That’s why he played because he felt good. He showed his character and he showed that he loves basketball,” said Sekulic.

    Luka Doncic Slovenia vs Lithuania

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    Sekulic also thinks that Doncic was intent on repaying the Filipino fans who still came out even though the game practically had nothing at stake.

    “He probably appreciates the fans here. He has an amazing fan base and he has amazing support. I felt like the whole arena was cheering for us. It was a great feeling. I’m sure it’s because of him. That shows a lot of how serious he is when he plays for his country and that he plays with his heart,” said Sekulic.

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      “I would also like to use this opportunity to thank Filipino fans for the amazing support we are getting here. It’s just incredible to play. Classification game and almost in front of a full arena, cheering for us. I’m just sad that we couldn’t win the game to show them the gratitude,” said Sekulic.

      Doncic and Slovenia will have one last chance at gifting the Filipino fans a win when they face Italy in the battle for seventh place.

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      PHOTO: Jerome AscaƱo
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