Luka Doncic was visibly frustrated with his team’s play in the first half today. He got into it with Patrick Beverley and Marcus Morris, jawing at them in different incidents.
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In a game that started off with the Mavs scoring 16 points pretty early, the Clippers came roaring back with a 20-0 run to lead by 13 points. The margin between the two sides did not reduce below this 13 point gap for the rest of the first half. The Clippers finished with a franchise record 76 points in the first half, heading to the locker room with a 24-point lead at the break.
Luka Doncic jaws at Patrick Beverley and Marcus Morris
With the scores at 36-20 and Doncic awarded free throws with 1:59 left in the first quarter, the cameras cut to Patrick Beverley. The injured guard was trash talking Doncic from the bench as he prepared to hit his freebies. Luka swished it and then made a chirping gesture right back at the All-Defensive Team regular.
Also Read: Luka Doncic responds to Montrezl Harrell’s apology for abusive ‘white boy’ comment
Doncic was in a sour temper throughout the half. He kept talking back with referees on imagined infractions that went uncalled by them. His constant jabbering at the referees earned him a technical midway through the second quarter.
Doncic’s foul temper was further tested when Marcus Morris took him to task for apparently flopping on a swipe by Lou Williams. The foul call was definitely dodgy and merited some backlash from the Clippers. Doc Rivers couldn’t believe the call watching from the bench.
Mavericks in Game 5
As things stand, Doncic needs to be in a more composed mood to take over games in the manner that he did in Game 4 of the series.
However, the Clippers are keeping things extremely tight and making it difficult for Doncic to control things like he did in the 2nd half of Game 4. A blowout win for the Clippers seems like a possibility and if that is the case, the Mavs would want to rest Doncic a little for Game 6, where Porzingis could also feature.
