Subscribe
Follow Us
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic picked up his seventh technical foul Thursday. Despite the 119-101 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Doncic performed admirably once again, scoring 39 points and dishing out 13 assists. The technicals are becoming a storyline of their own, however.
Doncic was given an explanation for the technical he received versus Minnesota. With that said, Luka did not seem to be the biggest fan of the explanation. He also addressed a three-pointer that was called back early in the game because the referees said Doncic was out of bounds.
“That I can’t clap. I’m serious. It’s crazy,” Doncic said of the explanation he received for the technical foul. “And they took away my 3. Like now you can go back? They said I was out of bounds. If the refs don’t call it they can go back and check? It was the first time I’ve seen that, so I don’t understand.”
Tim Cato of The Athletic conducted a Pool Report Interview with Crew Chief Curtis Blair following the game. Blair provided an explanation for Doncic's technical, via NBA.com.
“After a no call, Luka overtly gestures by hitting his hand multiple times while yelling ‘call the foul' and aggressively walking towards the official,” Blair said.
Blair also confirmed that Doncic hadn't said anything prior to the technical that played a role in the call being made.
Jason Kidd addresses Luka Doncic's increasing technical fouls
Doncic is having a fantastic 2023-24 campaign. He would arguably be the MVP if the season ended today. The technical fouls are beginning to stack up, however.
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd was asked if there is any concern over Doncic's technical fouls.
“I'm not concerned. We all understand what that number is,” Kidd said. “This one was quick. Every crew is different. We have to be better. But it was a quick T — Jacyn [Goble] gave him a quick T. Again, we've just got to figure out what's right and what's wrong. The clap – a lot of players do it. Some are called for a T, some aren't. Just be consistent, that's all.”
Kidd mentioned that “every crew is different.” He later added that the Mavs will attempt to improve their scouting of each official moving forward.
“Yeah, we've got to probably do a better job of doing the scouting report on each official. It's just part of the game, understanding who's quick to blow a whistle on a T and who's not. That's part of the game.”
Luka Doncic and the Mavs now hold a 15-9 record following Thursday's loss. Dallas has performed well overall, especially considering the fact that injuries have unfortunately played a big role early in the season.
The Mavs' next game will be on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
