“I’m talking to you”: Luka Doncic heated at ref after catching elbow resulting in bloodied lip
Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are taking on the recently crowned NBA In-Season Tournament champions LA Lakers. Being the competitive guy that he is, Doncic did battle in the paint with the big men to fight for the rebound. However, things turned out badly for the Mavs star as Anthony Davis accidentally hit his jaw with an elbow. This resulted in Luka getting a bloody lip after the collision.
Catching elbows is fairly common in basketball, whether it is accidental or intentional. But that doesn't mean players would be happy about the play. After Luka Doncic caught an elbow from Anthony Davis, the Slovenian star sounded off at the referees during a timeout. While wiping off the blood in his mouth, Doncic was upset with the ref for not calling a foul or a violation of some sort after the play.
ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin caught Doncic on video talking to a referee. Luka's words weren't clear on video, but one thing was for sure, he let a certain referee know that he was talking to them.
"I'm talking to you," Doncic said to a referee.
Mavericks vs Lakers 12/12/23: First-half recap; Luka Doncic dominates LA despite bloody lip incident
It's back to regular season programming for the LA Lakers and their first opponent after winning the NBA In-Season Tournament is the Dallas Mavericks. The last time both teams did battle was towards the end of November, when the Mavericks barely came out on top with a 104-101 victory. Luka Doncic put on a show that night with a double-double performance of 30 points and 12 rebounds.
This time around, it appears that the Mavericks might come up with their second consecutive victory over the Lakers. The first half of their Tuesday night matchup saw Dallas lead LA by 10 points 71-61. Luka "Magic" is on full display once again, already nearing another double-double with 18 points and nine assists. Helping Doncic in scoring is Tim Hardaway Jr., who ended the half with 20 points.
Considering that it's only a 10-point deficit, the LA Lakers still have a chance of making a comeback in the second half. At the moment, it's Anthony Davis leading the charge with 20 points. If LeBron James and Austin Reaves can somehow pick up the slack on scoring in the next two quarters, the Lakers might be able to beat the Dallas Mavericks.