Doncic responds to 0 wins and 2 losses: Our goal is to advance from the group stage; I didn't expect the opponent to boost their score at the end.

On August 31st Beijing time, Slovenia was defeated by France 95-103, holding a 0-2 record in the group stage. Doncic made 8 out of 20 shots, 4 out of 10 from beyond the arc, and 19 out of 20 free throws, tallying 39 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals, along with 5 turnovers and 4 fouls. He feels Slovenia proved they have the ability to aim for greater achievements in the match against France.

Although starting with two losses, Slovenia's situation is expected to improve. They will face Belgium, Israel, and Iceland next, aiming for three consecutive wins — a 3-2 record would still secure them third place in Group D and a spot in the round of 16.

After the game, Doncic said: “Our goal is to qualify from the group. In the two games played so far, we have given everything, truly leaving nothing behind. We are here to represent Slovenia and fight to win every game, and we will keep battling. I believe we have shown that capability, every player on the team is giving their all, and all credit goes to everyone. We share both the wins and losses as a team. I made many mistakes today, and I know I could have performed much better. Post-game analysis will be important; we must prepare as thoroughly as possible for the upcoming matches.”

When asked about the defensive pressure he faced during the game, the Lakers star responded with a hint of sarcasm: “I feel great, absolutely fantastic. We have another game tomorrow at 2 PM, so we have a lot of work to do to recover properly.”

Speaking about the match against France, he added: “We really fought hard, but in the last two or three minutes, our momentum dipped a bit, though overall we gave it our all. France is definitely a tough opponent, and I told my teammates that we must maintain this level of competitiveness. We prepared thoroughly for this game; Francisco shot 1 for 23 in warm-ups but scored 30 points today. Currently, we are allowing opponents to score an average of 105 points per game, which is too high. Now, winning is the most important thing; nothing else matters.”

Doncic also commented on the performance of Slovenia’s bench players: “The guys did very well; everyone who stepped on the court gave their utmost effort. As I said before, France is a top-tier team. It’s unfortunate we lost, but now we have to learn from this defeat. I know sometimes I lose control of my emotions, but I always try to help the team. Everything I do comes with good intentions; no one on the team wants to harm our chances, and I can feel we are improving every day.”

Finally, the Slovenian star responded to Francisco’s last-second layup — a play that sparked a minor conflict between the teams: “We shook hands after the game. Although the final score difference at the last moment might affect group rankings, we still exchanged handshakes. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to complete that play (referring to the last-second layup).”

Francisco from the French team also addressed the incident in an interview, stating that he apologized to Doncic after the game and admitted his mistake.

Francisco said: “I want to apologize. I did shake hands with Doncic and then went for a layup. What I truly regret is shaking hands; I should have let him keep defending me because I really wanted to improve the point difference. It’s well known that point difference is important in the EuroBasket, and that thought suddenly came to me. I won’t do that again; I must take responsibility for my actions and keep moving forward.”