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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

The NBA’s Rivals Week is going on, with the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns in action. The Mavs lost against the Suns 132-109, leading the Suns in the 8th spot in offensive ratings and 15th in defensive. They’re almost identical to the Nuggets at this point. But this isn’t something we’re currently interested in. Luka Doncic, the star player for the Mavs, was involved in an on-court controversy just a few minutes ago.

Apparently. some trolls were sitting in the stands, speaking ill-worded comments against Doncic, which baffled him. So, the Slovenian asked the security to eject the fans speaking from 2 rows behind the mid-court press row. As per eyewitnesses, the fan that caught Doncic’s attention the most was: “Luka, you’re tired! Get your a** on the treadmill!”

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But as per Doncic, things were a bit different. As per Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News reporter, Doncic decided to ask security intervention because of the fan constantly cursing at him throughout the night and not because of the treadmill remark. This was also revealed in the post-game interview when he was going back and forth with ESPN’s Tim MacMohan about him tweeting about the star player. MacMohan was one of the first reporters to tweet about the situation happening on-court. Of course, Doncic did not approve of what MacMohan did. As per Doncic, the situation was far different from what the ESPN reporter portrayed it to be, avidly getting miffed with him during the post-game interview.

The ejection happened when Doncic pointed out the particularly “abusive” fan to the staff and security present on-court. In fact, even Doncic’s Mavs teammate Kyrie Irving walked over to the fan too, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

All of this happened right in the middle of the third quarter when the Mavs were in an abysmal state, where the Suns were leading. Doncic appeared to be frustrated with the situation. He had 24 points in the first half, helping the Mavs build up their lead in the second half as well. But nothing worked in his favor, after which the fan was ejected from the court.

Understanding Luka Doncic and Mavs’ performance

Today’s game wasn’t that simple. It was probably Doncic who was pretty much doing everything to lead his team; and that too without Kyrie Irving by his side, who was out because of an injury. His efforts weren’t enough. Suns won 132-109 after the sheer lack of team dynamics in the third quarter, of course not looking good for the franchise, especially in the rivals’ week.

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READ MORE: Mavs Injury Report: Uncertainty Surrounds Kyrie Irving Amid Relieving Luka Dončić News

Bradley Beal was seemingly healthy during the game play while Devin Booker finished the game with 46 points on 17-32 shooting, 3 assists, and 7 rebounds. On the other hand, Doncic had 34 points, 11-of-24 shooting, 8 rebounds and 9 assists.

Probably part of the problem tonight was the fact that Doncic was the only starter who had double-digit points. He carried the load on his shoulders, getting as many assists, blocks, and steals as he could, only to lose later. Of course, in situations like these, even stars can feel helpless, leading to the altercation that happened in court today.

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The Phoenix Suns have won 7 games straight while the Mavs have lost 4 out of 5 games. They’re both 1-1 against each other this season. Now, their third and final regular season game will happen on February 22, in Dallas. We might see a Doncic comeback, maybe?

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