Doncic said he felt he didn’t get a fair share of the calls in his matchup with Lu Dort and hinted at ‘not being touched’ when he hurt his knee again. Doncic said Dallas are fine with OKC using Hack-a-Lively and expect the center to hits the free throws.
Luka Doncic has been battling a multitude of injuries during the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. After Game 3 victory, the Dallas Mavericks superstar said his woes are at least partially to blame on the referees.
Asked about what injuries in particular he’s hurting from, Doncic said he doesn’t have a body part that’s not hurting. Additionally, he singled out a play with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter when he fell on the floor and lost the ball while trying to split two Thunder defenders, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren.
“Everything,” Doncic said when asked what he’s hurt. “In the last play when I split two defenders, obviously, nobody touched me. I hurt my knee again. Just trying to battle out there. We’ve got to win this – it’s all that matters.”
Just a minute earlier, Doncic took a hard fall on his back after battling for a loose ball with OKC’s Lu Dort. Eventually, Doncic won the jump ball that ultimately helped Dallas seal the important win.
“It was straight on my back. Right now that’s the least of my problems. That’s just [a] hit. I’ll get better in two days,” Doncic said.
Doncic’s matchup with Dort has garnered tremendous attention in the media and fan circles. The matchup features a lot of physicality, and the Slovenian superstar feels he’s not getting a fair share of the calls from the officials.
“It’s fine. You just have to call the same fouls on both ends,” he said about matching up with Dort.
“I don’t think so. Simple answer,” Doncic claimed when asked whether the playoffs are officiated in the same way the regular season previously was.
Trailing late in the game, the Thunder tried to purposefully foul Dallas’ Dereck Lively II, a 50.% free-throw shooter in the regular season. NBA fans were quick to call this tactic, modifying the famous Shaquille O’Neal catchphrase, Hack-a-Lively. Lively hit 8 shots in 12 attempts at the line on Saturday.
“I’m fine with it, we’re fine with it,” Doncic said about Hack-a-Lively. “That’s why we left him in the game. We believe in our guys, we believe he’s going to knock down shots, and that’s what we did.”
