Canada beats Slovenia to reach FIBA World Cup semifinals as Doncic gets ejected

Canada's impressive run at the 2023 FIBA World Cup continued on Wednesday with a 100-89 win over Luka Doncic and Slovenia.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for Canada with 31 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while RJ Barrett added 24 points in the win.

Doncic paced Slovenia with 26 points before being ejected for his second technical foul with 6:37 remaining in the fourth quarter. Canada's Dillon Brooks — who was also ejected in the contest — was impressive on the defensive side of the ball, limiting Doncic to an 8-for-20 shooting performance.

Doncic complimented the entire Canadian team after the game and specifically praised Gilgeous-Alexander and Brooks.

"Congratulations to Canada, they played great. They have one of the best players in the world and it was really tough to guard him," Doncic said of Gilgeous-Alexander.

"I think Dillon played great, he was very physical like he always does. A lot of people don't like him but I respect him for what he does and he does that stuff really well."

The game was tied at halftime before the Canadians seized control with a strong third quarter, outscoring their opponent 30-21 in the frame, including a 19-5 run to open the period.

The victory ensured Canada will play for a medal for the first time ever at the tournament. The Canadians already punched their ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics with Sunday's win over Spain.

Canada will play Serbia in the semifinals on Friday. Germany and the United States meet on the other side of the bracket.

What does Gilgeous-Alexander think Canada needs to do to ensure it reaches the final? More of the same.

"We play together, we play fast, we play tough, we're pretty hard to beat," Gilgeous-Alexander told Sportsnet's Arash Madani after Wednesday's win. "We've just gotta keep imposing our will, imposing our identity on teams for 40 minutes and we'll be alright."