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Luka Doncic Says Heckler Was Saying 'Reckless Things' to Him After Mavs' Game 2 Loss
May 5, 2022
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic explained the testy situation between him and a Phoenix Suns fan at halftime of the Mavs' 129-109 loss to the Suns in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series on Wednesday.
When Doncic was heading into the locker room at halftime, cameras captured him having words with a fan in a Devin Booker jersey and having to be restrained by Mavericks personnel:
Doncic was asked about the incident after the game and said the following regarding what prompted him to react (h/t TMZ Sports):
"He was just saying some reckless things, man. I'm not going to repeat that. A lot of fans say that because they know we can't do nothing.
"If it was something normal, I wouldn't even look because I don't care. But, sometimes you're in a bad mood and they say some bad stuff. It's normal, we're people, man, and it's normal to turn around and get mad."
Dallas led the game by two points at halftime, but the Suns got it together in the second half by exploding for 71 points and cementing a victory to put them up 2-0 in the series.
While Doncic was excellent on Wednesday with a game-high 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting to go along with seven assists and five rebounds, he received little help from his teammates.
Only two other Mavs scored in double figures, and guard Jalen Brunson finished with just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting after putting up huge numbers in Dallas' six-game playoff series against the Utah Jazz.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd stressed to reporters about the importance of the supporting cast contributing more moving forward, saying:
"He had a great game, but no one else showed. We've got to get other guys shooting the ball better. We can't win with just him out there scoring 30 a night—not at this time of the year. And we're playing the best team in the league, so we've got to get other guys going."
The Suns are the reigning Western Conference champions and they were by far the NBA's top team during the 2021-22 regular season with a 64-18 record.
Phoenix had four players score in double figures Wednesday, but both of their top stars turned in big-time performances with Booker netting 30 and Chris Paul scoring 28 while adding eight assists.
That proved to be the difference, as Doncic didn't have a running mate who played at that same level.
Now, a frustrated Doncic and the Mavs are going back to Dallas for what amounts to a must-win Game 3 on Friday.