NBA officials are in hot water with the majority of the fanbase for making absurd calls and most of them are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC related. But he’s not the only one in the league who’s accused of “foul baiting”. There are others, who are just as good (if not better) who are being crucified for the same and Luka Doncic is one of them.
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The Lakers lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, 105-101, on Friday night in a game that saw Doncic get fouled out. It was a frustrating evening for the purple and gold outfit.
Doncic scored 24 points and added nine rebounds and nine assists, which, by his standards, was a relatively quiet outing. Robert Horry, on the Lakers broadcast, decided to call the Slovenian out for something he does frequently that irks him tremendously.
Horry, a seven-time NBA champion, complimented Doncic for all the shots he made, which he stated were great. But the problem was with the ones he missed, because his entire game, according to the Lakers legend, is centered around trying to get fouls.
“I would love to see the shots that he missed, because one of the things that upsets me about Luka is, his game is predicated on getting fouls called and when the refs don’t give him the call, he starts hunting more,” Horry said.
“You’re too good of a basketball player to be hunting for fouls,” he added. “Just take the shot, nine times out of ten, he’ll make that shot.”
The Lakers broadcast went OFF on Luka for foul baiting pic.twitter.com/zPvDJki531
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) January 10, 2026
That is why Horry wanted to rewatch Doncic’s missed shots from the Bucks game, to see whether he actually needed to foul-bait in those situations or if he could have simply made those shots count by focusing on scoring them.
Doncic’s style of play does draw a lot of contact. There is no denying that. But does he do it intentionally, or is it just a consequence of his brilliance? That is up for interpretation.
In the 2024–25 season, he averaged around nine free throws per game, a number that has crossed 12 this season. One thing, however, is certain. He is a master at getting to the line, one way or another.
