The Dallas Mavericks entered Game 2 with a vengeance, trying to redeem themselves following a blowout loss in Game 1. As expected, both teams indulged in a chirpy battle. However, things escalated when fans at the Paycom Center joined in and began trash-talking Luka Doncic. Apart from the “Luka sucks” chants, one spectator in particular spoke ill about the 6f 7” guard’s family.
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During the dying minutes of the contest, the Dallas Mavericks were enjoying a comfortable 9-point lead. Heading into a timeout, Luka Doncic was seen addressing a spectator sitting courtside. The situation was so heated that an official and two other personnel had to intervene and separate Doncic from the OKC fan.
Luka Doncic confronted a Thunder fan sitting courtside heading into the last timeout 👀pic.twitter.com/gwre1TBhS5
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 10, 2024
Later, in the postgame press conference, the Slovenian superstar revealed the reason behind him fuming. While Doncic thrives on all the hate directed towards him, he doesn’t appreciate the fan disrespecting his family. Venting it out to the reporters, the 2024 MVP finalist said:
“It’s great for me, I love it. But there was one guy courtside, going at my family, I don’t like that… That’s a grown-a** man coming at my family. That’s kinda nuts.”
Luka on the courtside: "That's a grown ass man coming at my family. That's kinda nuts."pic.twitter.com/gUqhYpvOJj
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 10, 2024
Luka Doncic wasn’t the only member of the Mavericks to confront hecklers. When the game was virtually over, Kyrie Irving was sent to the free-throw line. During his trip to the charity stripe, Irving was seen interacting with the trash-talking fans.
Luka calmly drilling 2fts and TALKING TRASH to some fans pic.twitter.com/Cw24M0cVqt
— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) May 10, 2024
Luka was not bothered by any of the tactics of getting him rattled.
Very loud “Luka sucks” chants from the Paycom Center crowd. He’s had some fan interaction during this game. Usually not a good strategy for the opposition. pic.twitter.com/sqA1oagMqh
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) May 10, 2024
Feeding off the negative energy, Doncic erupted for a 29-point near triple-double. Bouncing back from the subpar Game 1 performance, the five-time All-Star had a highly efficient 52.4% FG and 62.5% 3FG shooting display, per NBA.com. Despite the Thunder’s impressive performance so far in the postseason, the Texas side now has the momentum with the series shifting to Dallas.
