Teammates Told Luka Doncic To Stop Whining, Play Actual Defense

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Luka Doncic’s teammates and Jason Kidd are tired of his antics toward the officials and his failure to show up to play defense. Game 3 displayed how miserable Doncic can be when he’s always complaining, foul-baiting, and never playing defense.

“In the three seasons he has coached Doncic, [Jason] Kidd has told him several truths: that he needed to stop making enemies of officials with persistent whining; that he needed to give a more consistent effort on defense; and that he needed to get in better shape to be at his best when his team needed him,” Ramona Shelburne wrote.

Doncic has always struggled with being in shape and mental maturity; it’s now getting to the point where it’s costing them in the biggest series of everyone’s career. For his teammates, with people wondering how they are responding, they are tired of it.

“Kidd has said these things publicly and privately. So have Doncic’s teammates in Dallas and on the Slovenian national team.”

The 25-year-old fouled out with a couple of minutes to go in the game, where Dallas could have made it a 2-1 series deficit. However, Doncic decided to quit playing basketball, complain to the refs, and disappoint his team.

Game 4 is Friday night at 5:30 PM MST or 8:30 PM EST.

Despite Pain Injections, Luka Doncic Will Play In Game 3

Luka Doncic is definitely feeling the effects of a longer season, with his back, ankle, and knee causing him a substantial amount of pain. It caused so much pain on the injury report, that he was listed as questionable.

While he did play in Game 2, he was noticeably in pain and was given pain injections to help numb the areas. Specifically the area concerning his thoracic contusion. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Malika Andrews confirmed this.

“I feel good,” said Doncic on Tuesday. “I don’t want to give any more details, but I feel good.”

The mindset is Doncic playing in Game 3, plus the medical staff giving him another pain injection before Dallas’s home stand.

Luka Doncic Suffers Hamstring Injury

According to multiple reports, Luka Doncic has a sore hamstring after landing awkwardly on the alley-oop to Daniel Gafford.

When the 25-year-old had a look of pain on his face as soon as he landed, he didn’t return to the game after checking himself out during a timeout break.

The Dallas Mavericks are set to finish a back-to-back against the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, there is uncertainty about how Doncic will play. Head coach Jason Kidd has confirmed the uncertainty.

“We’ll have a better answer [Thursday],” Kidd said. “This is a fluid thing. This thing is being talked about now.”

Per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, after his teammates left the arena, Doncic was still there receiving treatment.