On September 8, in the 2025 European Basketball Championship 1/8 finals, Luka Dončić scored 42 points and led Slovenia to defeat Italy 84-77 and successfully advance to the quarterfinals.

Just 36 seconds into the game, Dončić took a hard fall during a drive, but he quickly recovered and scored 10 points in the first quarter, leading his team on a 15-2 run that extended the lead to 32-13 by the end of the first quarter. Slovenia led by 19 points at one point, but Italy, with their tenacious determination, kept closing the gap. By the end of the first half, the score was 50-40.

In the third quarter, Italy clawed back, narrowing the gap to just six points. Slovenia responded with a 9-0 run, extending their lead to 15 points. With six minutes remaining, they led 78-65. However, Italy unleashed a 12-0 run, cutting the deficit to just one point with 100 seconds remaining. Dončić nailed four free throws in the final moments to seal the victory.

Doncic shot 11 of 19 from the field, 5 of 11 from three-point range, and 15 of 16 from the free throw line, scoring 42 points efficiently and contributing 10 rebounds and 3 steals. He was only 5 points away from his own European Championship record of 47 points set against France in 2022.

Prepelic scored 11 points, while Omic contributed 7 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. Italy's Fontecchio scored 22 points. Slovenia dominated the rebounding game 40 to 32, with 15 offensive rebounds converting into 16 second-chance points.