The number one reason why there is a belief that Slovenia can make some noise at the 2023 FIBA World Cup is Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks star who always seems to find an extra gear when he suits up for his national team. But in a pre-tournament exhibition a mere 22 days before the Slovenians play their first game, Doncic suffered an injury scare.
Slovenia played Greece on Friday, and in the second quarter, Doncic ran into a screen set by Emmanouil Chatzidakis. The two appeared to bump knees, and while Chatzidakis was ok, Doncic came up limp and ended up needing to leave the game.
Luka Doncic had to leave the game early in Slovenia’s exhibition matchup vs. Greece after appearing to bump knees with Emmanouil Chatzidakis.
Hope he’s okay
pic.twitter.com/ewi3zxgE69
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 4, 2023
This would, obviously, be a gigantic problem for both Slovenia and the Dallas Mavericks. But fortunately for everyone involved, Doncic is ok. Marc Stein reported that the plan all along was for Doncic to only play in the first half of the game, and him hurting his knee with just over two minutes left in the second quarter simply expedited the process of getting him out of there.
Luka Dončić, I’m told, did not sustain an injury tonight and was only scheduled to play in the first half of Slovenia’s road exhibition game in Greece.
More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnrjq
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 4, 2023
Doncic played well prior to his leaving the game, as he scored 18 points in the first half. Greece would go on to pick up an 88-77 win.
Slovenia is in a group with Cape Verde, Georgia, and Venezuela at the World Cup, and will begin their tournament on Aug. 26. As of this writing, the team is tied with the third-best odds of winning it all behind the United States and Canada.