SUMMARY
- Luka Doncic managed to lead the Mavericks to an impressive Game 2 victory against OKC.
- An OKC fan spoke against Doncic's family mid-game and the 5x All-Star didn't appreciate it.
Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks bounced back with a dominating win against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center. After going on an awkward shooting slump, Doncic was able to light up finishing with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in the game. He also shot 5-8 from deep, which was best from three-point range in five games.
Unfortunately, Kyrie Irving wasn’t able to produce as much scoring only 9 points throughout the entire game. However, the Mavericks pushed PJ Washington to carry the offense alongside Doncic as he finished with 29 points. Towards the end of the game, Doncic encountered a fan near the sideline who had some choice of words for the 5x All-Star. At that point, the Mavericks were up by nine points as well.
Luka Doncic didn’t retaliate against the chirping OKC fan
During such situations, it is important for players to maintain composure. Luka Doncic ended up revealing that the OKC fan spoke against his family. “It was great for me, I love it. Just [that] there was one guy courtside going at my family. I don’t like that man. You’re a grown a** man, you just can’t do that, you know. But I didn’t do nothing I just went back. But it’s crazy. It’s a grown a** man coming at my family. That’s kinda nuts,” he said during the press conference.
Doncic would never usually hold back against such scenarios but this is one instance where he desperately needed to handle things calmly. Things can get fairly heated during the playoffs, and had the situation escalated further, Doncic would have gotten himself into trouble. This was a tough crowd to handle since the Mavericks were playing on OKC’s home turf.
Kyrie Irving also witnessed a fan mocking him while shooting free throws
Luka Doncic wasn’t the only individual who had to deal with hecklers on the sidelines. Not too long after Doncic had an exchange with an OKC fan, Kyrie Irving went back and forth while shooting free throws with less than 30 seconds left on the game clock. Irving was seen pointing fingers and waving at a fan.
The Mavericks have tied the series 1-1 moving into Games 3 and 4 which will take place at the American Airlines Center. Dallas is 2-1 at home in the playoffs and winning their next two games will be monumental for the team. In Game 2, we witnessed the Mavericks’ bench unit produce more numbers offensively. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points. His presence during the third quarter gave the Mavericks a double-digit lead as well.