The Dallas Mavericks were defeated 132-109 by the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night at home. Although the game was a disappointing one for Dallas, the primary storyline that emerged from the contest was Luka Doncic's decision to ask for a heckling fan to be ejected. On Thursday, Doncic was selected to the All-Star team as a starter and joined the NBA on TNT crew to discuss the honor.
Doncic was also asked about Wednesday's incident with the fan, and the Mavs superstar made an honest admission about the situation.
“Yeah, it was the whole game. But I was really frustrated, we were losing, I twisted my ankle in the first half. It was just a lot of emotions,” Doncic said. “But yeah, probably shouldn't have done that. When I’m wrong, I admit it. I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
Shaquille O'Neal then told Luka he would show him “what to do when somebody gets on your nerves.” Charles Barkley immediately started to back up before Shaq walked toward him in hilarious fashion. Barkley even used Doncic as a shield.
Mavericks' frustrating performance vs. Suns
In all seriousness, though, Luka Doncic displayed a lot of maturity with his comments on Thursday. NBA superstars are often heckled, especially when their teams are losing. Doncic is a great player who expects to win every time he steps on the floor.
It was a frustrating performance for Dallas, who actually started the game strong before slowing down as the contest continued. Dallas' defense endured a difficult time trying to contain Devin Booker and Phoenix's offensive attack.
Doncic gave credit to Booker after the game on Wednesday.
“It was our defense. I think Book (Devin Booker) went off, he couldn't miss, he destroyed us,” Doncic said. “I think it was our defense.”
He was also asked how the Mavs can improve their defense moving forward.
“I don’t know, we just got to be more physical – that’s it,” Doncic said. “I think when we play physical 48 minutes it’s hard to beat us. We got to play physically without fouling.”
The Mavs are now 24-20. They have dropped three consecutive games heading into Friday's affair with the Atlanta Hawks. One thing this Dallas team has displayed during the 2023-24 campaign is resiliency, though.
It's no secret that injuries have played an unfortunate role in the Mavericks' season. Yet, Dallas has been able to stay afloat in a talented Western Conference.
Luka Doncic and Dallas will look to get back into the win column on Friday night in Atlanta.
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