Slovenia came close to pulling off one of the biggest upsets of this year’s EuroBasket by toppling a phenomenal German team. Luka Doncic, as usual, brought his A game, leading his team with 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Although this was the highest-scoring output ever by a player in a EuroBasket quarterfinal, Germany managed a comeback in the final quarter to avoid an early exit. The refereeing also drew attention, with Germany shooting 37 free throws compared to Slovenia’s 25. After the game, in the mix zone, still heated from the loss, Luka didn’t hold back on the referees.
“I’m angry, 100 percent angry,” Doncic stressed. “I could have done more in the last quarter, I forced shots, I could have been better in key moments, I didn’t make the right decisions… Hats off to the guys, we showed we can win. We all fought and gave our best. I won’t say much.”
“I got my first technical foul just two minutes into the game when I shouted ‘Come on.’ That shouldn’t happen in a quarterfinal, no matter who the player is,” he added. “To not even get a warning, honestly, I don’t know what the referees were thinking. Four fouls at the start of the third quarter, something like that has never happened to me in my life,” Doncic concluded.
Doncic was at the mercy of the referees from tip-off
The Los Angeles Lakers guard picked up a technical foul just three minutes into the game for arguing with the refs. Early in the third quarter, he was called for his fourth personal foul, forcing Germany to attack him on almost every possession. Luka Magic flirted with picking up a second technical foul when he made a “money gesture” to the refs, but they evidently didn’t want to eject him early on from the game.
Despite all this, Slovenia led 74-67 until the end of the third quarter, when Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva hit a half-court three as the buzzer sounded, completely shifting momentum to Germany’s side. Ultimately, Germany won the game 99-91, but the game’s flow was disrupted entirely by constant free throws for both teams.
The refereeing standard was strict from the beginning, with even the smallest contacts being called on both sides. This likely caused Doncic to get extra free throws due to his pressure on the officials. But looking at the bigger picture, it seemed like Doncic was at the mercy of the referees from the tip-off.
It felt like the officials truly changed the course of the game
Even though he shot 15 free throws, the officials truly changed the course of the game when they called the fifth foul on the five-time All-Star, putting immense pressure on him and the Slovenian team.
It can be said that Slovenia was genuinely hampered by the referees; Luka also shares some of the blame, as he clashed with them from the very start, which surely upset them. He set the narrative that every move he made for the rest of the game would be scrutinized more strictly than others, which certainly didn’t help him or the team, as his tendency to comment on every referee decision was evident. With the new NBA season right around the corner, Doncic will definitely need to improve in this area.
Germany advanced to its fourth consecutive semifinal in FIBA competitions following the 2022 EuroBasket, the 2023 FIBA World Cup, and the 2024 Olympics, signaling that it could be the heir to Spain, which was led by Pau Gasol for nearly two decades. As for Slovenia and Doncic, as long as he plays and shows up, Slovenia will be a dark horse in any tournament, but with a modest roster, they remain far from contender status.
