Why did Luka Doncic not play the last 5 minutes of Slovenia v Canada?

Luka Doncic and Slovenia made it to the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup, but their run could be coming to an end. While they were in a neck-and-neck matchup with Canada, who eventually took a commanding lead.

Canada pulled away from Slovenia because the latter didn't have the services of Luka Doncic. After getting into a scuffle with Dillon Brooks, the Dallas Mavericks star was given his second technical foul and ejected from the game. In their star's absence, the Slovenians slumped to a 100-89 defeat.

Before getting ejected, Doncic was in the midst of another stellar performance. In 29 minutes of action, he had 26 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals. However, his production was canceled out by Canada's top performer.

OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been a star for Canada at the World Cup. His stellar run continued in the quarterfinal against Slovenia. SGA ended the game with 31 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

With the win, Canada advances to the semifinals where they face off against Nikola Jovic and Serbia. Meanwhile, following their loss, Slovenia now no longer has a chance of competing for a medal.

However, Doncic's incredible run in the tournament won't be remembered for his ejection in the quarterfinals. Slovenia will next compete in the classification games against Lithuania.

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Luka Doncic has always had a problem with ejections

While there's no denying that Luka Doncic is a generational talent, the All-Star guard has his flaws. One of his biggest is his constant arguing with officials.

Since entering the NBA, Doncic has always been getting caught up in arguments with referees. Last season, he was among the league-leaders in technical fouls.

In 2023, only two players got more techs than Doncic. Ironically, one of them was Dillion Brooks, who was also ejected in the aforementioned World Cup game. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green led the league with 21, while Doncic was not far behind with 17.

It has become a bad habit for Doncic, and one he needs to rectify quickly. It could end up costing the Dallas Mavericks a big game like it did for Slovenia.