"That was some WWE sh*t": Fans castigate Jaden McDaniels' ill-intended foul on Luka Doncic
Following a disappointing outing on Saturday night, Luka Doncic and the LA Lakers were back to their winning ways on Tuesday. They hung on to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in an old-school, bruising matchup. The 94-85 final score was reminiscent of those classics from the 90s.
The game was won in the trenches, and the Lakers had to endure some big blows to even up the series at one win apiece.
However, some fans didn't take kindly to some of the Timberwolves' fouls and called out Jaden McDaniels on social media for seemingly trying to injure Luka Doncic with a leg lock:
"that McDaniels leg lock was some WWE sh*t," a fan wrote.
"McDaniels tripping Luka then Randle shooting a floater and swinging his arm downward to hit bron in the face was the nasty shi I’ve seen in a while then you got wolves fans complaining the refs only letting LA play physical," one fan wrote.
"Been telling people for years this is the MJ rules all over again except it’s not just 1 team it’s all teams. They get frustrated because they can’t guard Luka," a Luka Doncic fan added.
"@NBA- please look into what the @OfficialNBARefs are doing. It is NOT their jobs! Potential injuries every game as a result," one fan urged.
Other fans were a little more candid:
"It's why teams always need an enforcer," one fan said.
"How about we injured their core too?" another one wondered.
JJ Redick says Luka Doncic, Lakers were more physical in Game 2
The Lakers led by as many as 22 points, and they only trailed by two points early in the contest. Coach JJ Redick was emotional on the sidelines, even calling his players out during a fierce timeout late in the game.
Following the win, Redick, who stated that the Timberwolves shocked them with their physicality in Game 1, acknowledged that the Lakers did a much better job of being physical in this matchup:
"We were very physical tonight, as were they," Redick said. "I think the playoffs require a different level, and like I’d said pregame, it took us about two and a half quarters in Game 1 to get to that level of physicality."
Luka Doncic stepped up on the night for the Lakers with a 31-point showing. Notably, fellow star players LeBron James and Austin Reaves had a better showing as well, putting up a combined 38 points on the board.
The series will now travel to the Twin Cities for Games 3, 4, and 5. Both teams have already set a physical tone, and hopefully, it will lead to a hard-fought series and not to any injury.