Whispered by the referee while teasing Devin Booker, Doncic approached NBA suspension
A lot has changed since the Phoenix Suns took on the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Playoffs semifinals last year. The most obvious new feature is the two transfer blockbusters triggered by both teams, working with the Brooklyn Nets to bring in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving respectively.
But no matter how many new points, one thing remains the same, that is Devin Booker and Luka Doncic do not like each other. This was confirmed again when the two young stars had a bit of an exchange after the Suns won against the Mavericks with a score of 130-126 today (March 6).
This literal head-to-head showdown came after Luka Doncic missed a late-time tenth, a floater that could have equalized the game if the ball had gone into the basket.
While Doncic looked frustrated, Devin Booker shouted something loudly and angered the Dallas Mavericks defender. Luka then approached and faced Devin, exchanging words for a few more seconds before being interrupted by players from both teams.
The referee immediately "given" each player a technical foul to calm the situation, marking Doncic's 14th technical error since the start of the season.With just 2 more errors, he will be suspended for one match by default. according to the rules of the NBA.
Despite directly "trash-talking" during the whole match and facing each other in the above situation, Doncic and Booker had opposite reactions when answering the press after the match.
Devin Booker claimed that he did not say anything to Luka and only reacted to the referee that the opponent had committed an offensive foul. Doncic, upon hearing this, approached Booker to indicate that he disagreed with the idea.
At the press conference, the Phoenix Suns star said that everything is not serious:
“People often say we NBA players are so gentle, now there is a bit of heat for the audience. Actually, it was just a normal ball, two professional players were trash-talking each other a bit.
"Me and Luka have no problems on and off the pitch. It's just that when we're on the pitch, we're both like that. Everyone wants to be the winner," Booker said.
In contrast, Luka Doncic was probably the loser of the battle, so he mocked Booker a bit. The Dallas Mavericks star said that if you want to trash-talk, do it from the beginning, don't wait until the game is only 3 seconds to speak like this:
“Devin said that just complaining to the referee, I don't think so. I will not repeat what Devin said here. Trash-talk is fine, I like it. Just don't wait until the game has three seconds to do that."
The 14th technical error from the beginning of the season plus a missed floater closed Luka Doncic's forgettable day. He scored 34 points with 9 rebounds and 4 assists, but had 5 turnovers and a poor finish rate, hitting only 8-23 FG and missing eight 3-pointers.
According to The Athletic, Doncic is suffering from a left thigh muscle injury. Although not serious, it is making Luka uncomfortable every time he plays, lasting for the past 10 days.
Things took a turn for the worse during this morning's game against Dallas when Doncic told the medical team that he "had pain every time he ran or jumped".
However, he said that was not the reason for missing the opportunity to equalize the match score.
“I just missed, that's all. Immediately after the game, a close friend texted me and said that even he would probably throw in, but I missed the floater," Luka Doncic told reporters.
With the current ranking situation, the Phoenix Suns (4th place) and Dallas Mavericks (7th place) can completely meet again at the Playoffs, even in the first round. Then the trash-talk story or the collision between the stars of the two teams will definitely appear more.
