‘Killed a man’: Luka Doncic put in his place after mocking Steph Curry
Luka Doncic almost carried his Dallas Mavericks to an NBA Conference Finals win but learned a valuable lesson about mocking Steph Curry.
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The Golden State Warriors are just one win away from booking a spot in the NBA Finals after a 109-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks in game three of the NBA Western Conference Finals.
The result saw the Warriors extend the series lead to 3-0, in what would be the franchise’s sixth finals appearance in eight years.
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However, the loss wasn’t anything to do with the Mavericks’ superstar Luka Doncic, who put up a game-high 40 points and 11 rebounds but could inspire his side to the W.
It’s the second straight game has Doncic drained 40 points but ended up on the losing side.
But Doncic’s ongoing battle with Warriors star Steph Curry appeared to heat up once again, with the Slovenian giant going toe-to-toe with the sharpshooting American.
After Curry’s savage “night, night” send off in the soul crushing game two win, Doncic was quick to mock Curry’s trademark shimmy after draining a deep buzzer beater to end the first quarter.
Luka Doncic busted out the Steph Curry shimmy. He rocks so hard. pic.twitter.com/PKljJ2rUSK
— Bryan Kalbrosky (@BryanKalbrosky) May 23, 2022
Doncic and Curry had to be separated by their teams in the second quarter after a moment many believe a foul should have been called for Doncic.
But midway through the fourth quarter, Andrew Wiggins left the NBA in shock when he dunked over the top of Doncic to put an exclamation point on the Warriors’ lead.
Although it was initially called an offensive foul, the Warriors reviewed it successfully, meaning the points stood.
ANDREW WIGGINS POSTERIZES LUKA DONCIC... but an offensive foul was called...
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 23, 2022
Good or bad call? 🤔pic.twitter.com/J3cQDFzRFI
Even Doncic had to give it up to Wiggins for the dunk, which gave the Warriors a key 10-point lead.
“That was impressive,” Doncic said of Wiggins’ basket. “I’m not going to lie. I saw the video again, and I was like, ‘Ooof.’ I wish I had those bunnies.”
Curry was equally blown away by the Wiggins dunk.
“Fourth quarter in a big win, not just because it looked good but because of the way it looked, it was just unbelievable,” Curry said. “And we got to see 800 replays because of the challenge so appreciate you, Marc (Davis). That was nice.”
Asked about how he felt about the dunk, Wiggins said: “I was just feeling the energy.
“When I saw the rim, that’s all I seen. They tried to take it away from me but Steve (coach Kerr) challenged it and we won. So I thank him for that.”
Fellow NBA stars and fans were blown away by the dunk.
Wiggs 😤💪ðŸ½
— Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) May 23, 2022
mark davis really tried to steal the shine on the dunk of the playoffs 😂
— Seth Curry (@sdotcurry) May 23, 2022
Wiggins just ended Luka.
— Bonta Hill (@BontaHill) May 23, 2022
Dear lord, that was so damn vicious.
😳😳😳….. damn wiggs
— Zach LaVine (@ZachLaVine) May 23, 2022
Luka Doncic mocked Steph Curry with a shimmy after draining a 3-pointer. But Curry and the Warriors got the last laugh with Doncic crushed by an Andrew Wiggins poster to win 109-100 and take a 3-0 lead.
— adrian barich (@adrianbarich) May 23, 2022
The Mavs have lost 4 straight playoff games where Doncic scores 40+ points
Andrew Wiggins just killed a man on national TV.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) May 23, 2022
It’s a long way to go for the Mavericks to breathe life into the series as no team in the 75-year history of the NBA has ever successfully overturned a 3-0 series deficit in the playoffs.
Curry led the scoring for the Warriors with 31 points, 11 assists and five rebounds while Wiggins was exceptional with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
“It’s not over yet, but it’s not going to be easy,” Doncic said. “The Warriors are not going to give you anything easy.
“Nobody had us being here in these Conference Finals. But I think the Warriors are playing incredible. Everybody knows their role.
“Everybody just stays together. They’ve been together for a long time, and I think they’re playing good basketball, so that’s what I think is going to be really difficult.
“These past three games it’s been very difficult.”
After taking a 48-47 halftime lead, the Warriors took a decisive grip on the game in the third quarter.
Soon afterwards Wiggins punished a rash challenge from Doncic to claim three free throws and leave Golden State 102-89 ahead with just over four minutes remaining.
There was a nervous moment for Golden State when Spencer Dinwiddie nailed a three-pointer with just over a minute remaining to make it a five-point game at 104-99.
But the Warriors’ response was ruthless, Poole making a soul-destroying three-pointer to restore Golden State’s eight-point advantage and effectively ice the game with 54 seconds left on the clock.
Game four in the series takes place in Dallas on Tuesday.
— with AFP
Originally published as ‘Killed a man’: Luka Doncic put in his place after mocking Steph Curry
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