Luka Doncic expressed his admiration for Nicolas Batum following Slovenia’s defeat in the semifinals of the Olympic Tournament in Tokyo.
The biggest play of the night in the Slovenia-France semis was undoubtedly Batum’s block on Prepelic that pinned a potential game-winning layup to the board, resulting in a one-point victory (90-89).
In his post-game media availability, Doncic called the Clippers’ veteran forward a ‘class act’, and he claimed that Batum admitted he hated playing against the Mavs’ superstar, but in a good way.
Both players faced each other in this past season playoffs as the Dallas Mavericks fell to the LA Clippers in a gruesome seven-game series.
Batum and France will compete for the gold medal against the powerful Team USA, while Slovenia and Doncic will square off against Patty Mills and Australia in a game that will settle who wins bronze.
