The match between Team Canada and Team Slovenia lived up to its billing as a “bаttle of the stars.” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said he wasn’t worried about Luka Doncic, but the Thunder star won both of their individual matchups. With Doncic getting tossed for a second technical foul late in the game, SGA was able to lead Team Canada to victory.

However, after the game Doncic showed a lot of class by acknowledging Gilgeous-Alexander’s talent and showing respect for Canada. “Congratulations to Canada, they played great,” Doncic remarked. As one defender put it, “They have one of the best players in the world, and it was really tough to guard him.” After Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points on 8-of-12 shooting, it appeared that Slovenia had a hard time containing him.

The superstar also grabbed 10 boards, dished up four assists, and shot 14 for 16 from the charity stripe. SGA had a near-perfect game in which he scored on every opportunity. Canada has made it to the last four and will face Serbia in the semifinals.

The other semi-final features the United States taking on Germany; the winner might face either Canada or the United Kingdom in the final. Gilgeous-Alexander stated, “It’s an honor,” as Canada advanced to the World Cup semifinals for the first time in the country’s history.

This is an honor in and of itself. But we’re still not happy. Even with the late-game ejection, Doncic was having a solid performance. In a close game, he shot 8 of 20 from the field and finished with 25 points, 5 dimes, and 4 boards. Both technicals were given after discussions with the officials, as the entire Slovenian team had issues with a few foul calls (or lack thereof). For Gilgeous-Alexaner and Canada, the stakes only seem to increase as the tournament progresses.

As Doncic put it, SGA is quickly becoming one of the top players in the NBA, if not the best player in the world. After Wednesday’s victory, Gilgeous-Alexander told Sportsnet’s Arash Madani, “We play together, we play fast, we play tough, we’re pretty hard to beаt.” We’ll be fine if we can just maintain imposing our will and our identity on opposing teams for a full 40 minutes, he said.