If it wasn’t obvious from his reaction on the floor, Luka Doncic wasn’t impressed with the officiating in the fourth quarter of the Dallas Mavericks‘ Game 3 loss to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
The 25-year-old star was called for four of his six fouls in the final quarter of Monday’s game, marking the first time Doncic has fouled out in the post-season. The final two fouls came just 26 seconds apart as Doncic collided with Boston’s Jaylen Brown on consecutive defensive possessions.
Doncic was visibly frustrated by the calls and encouraged Dallas head coach Jason Kidd to challenge both calls. Kidd did end up challenging the second, more obvious foul, but the call was upheld.
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“Every time they drove it, they basically called a foul, so I tried to be better,” Doncic said when asked about the Celtics seeking him out as part of their offensive strategy. “So got to get better.”
The five-time All-Star finished with 27 points, six rebounds and six assists on 11-of-27 shooting from the floor, finishing the game with a plus-nine rating.
Entering the fourth quarter down 15, Dallas staged an impressive comeback, going on a 20-2 run, cutting its deficit to three at the time of Doncic’s sixth foul.
“We had a good chance. You know, we were close, just didn’t get it. I wish I was out there,” Doncic said about fouling out with the game so tight.
The Celtics held off the Kyrie Irving-led Mavericks attack through the final 4:12 of the game, securing a 106-99 victory to take a 3-0 advantage and move one win from the NBA title.
The last time Doncic fouled out of a regular-season game came on Oct. 29, 2022, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, so it would make sense that the Slovenian might take issue with how the game was officiated through the final 12 minutes.
“We couldn’t play physical. So, I don’t know. I don’t want to say nothing, but six fouls in the NBA Finals when I’m basically like this,” Doncic said while holding his hands up. “C’mon, man. Be better than that.”
Game 4 goes Friday from Dallas where the Mavericks will look to keep their season alive.
No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA, but Doncic says the Mavericks aren’t done yet.
“At some point, we were down 21 in the fourth quarter, and we came back. So we’re still going to believe until the end.”
