Mavs’ Luka Doncic asks security to eject heckling fan in loss to Suns

DALLAS — Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic's frustration Wednesday night resulted in him being called for a technical foul, a rowdy fan ejected and Dallas coach Jason Kidd criticizing his team for lost his concentration for the second time this week.

Doncic's technical foul and his call for the heckler's ejection ended the Mavs' third-quarter collapse in a 132-109 loss to the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center. Dallas was outscored 43-20 in the quarter, when Suns star Devin Booker scored 22 of his 46 points, as Phoenix turned a competitive game into a blowout.

Doncic reacted to the heckler, a Suns fan who wore an “El Valle” Booker jersey while sitting in the second row behind the midcourt press box, late in the third quarter. The man shouted, “Luka, you're tired! Get your ass on the treadmill!”

Doncic, who was walking near the middle of the court, turned around and looked at the fan for a few seconds. As Doncic returned to defense, he greeted Mavs vice president of security Brian Kinzig, pointed at the fan and gestured that he wanted him ejected. Doncic approached Kinzig on the court during the break between quarters, pointed at the fan again and demanded he be ejected. The fan left without further incident after being approached by an arena staff member.

Doncic took umbrage at the announcement of his request to expel the fan.

“He was cursing me the whole first half, too,” said Doncic, who had 34 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in the loss, something Mavs co-star Kyrie Irving missed in due to a sprained right thumb.

When asked why he didn't ask for the fan to be ejected during the first half, Doncic replied: “Because I would never evict a fan. They paid for the tickets, but I I've had enough. It's a bit of frustration.”

This is the seventh consecutive victory for the Suns (26-18), who climb to fifth place in the Western Conference standings. The Mavs (24-20) have lost five of seven to fall to eighth place.

Doncic also frequently expressed frustration with the officiating crew on Wednesday, getting called for a technical foul for the second straight game. He has eight this season, not including one that was overturned by the league office, putting him halfway to the threshold for an automatic suspension.

After the Suns cut a 16-point deficit to one in the final 6:05 of the second quarter, Doncic regained technical control by limping to the locker room, having “twisted” his right ankle that he had sprained it earlier this month.

“He complained several times and was asked to stop before that,” crew chief David Guthrie told a pool reporter. “He did not stop but continued to complain, and again, as he was leaving the field at halftime, he again screamed and complained to the officials.”

After Monday's loss to the Boston Celtics, Kidd criticized his team for being “a little frustrated with the officiating, and we lost our focus,” but he didn't single out Doncic. Two nights later, Kidd said the issue was “a trend here unfortunately” and specifically discussed Doncic's tendency throughout his career to become distracted due to his anger toward referees.

How can Kidd and the Mavs help Doncic deal with this problem?

“That's a great question. I don't have an answer,” Kidd said, noting that Doncic had played several games without having a technical problem before the home loss to the Celtics. “We'll talk to him about it. He's a competitor. He likes to talk to the referees, but he has to be better. And as a group, we have to be better.”

For the second straight game, Doncic said he didn't think a loss of composure was a factor in the Mavs' loss. The Mavs were called for four individual technical fouls, including two by forward Grant Williams, who was involved in a first-quarter shoving match with Phoenix's Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic and was ejected at 8:46 of the period. end of the third quarter after “openly shouting”. and gestured directly toward the official also using profanity,” according to Guthrie.

“As teachers of this game, we have to show them the conduct that will get you picked,” Kidd said. “The stars got calls in the fourth quarter, not after the jump ball in the first 30 seconds of the game. The game changed, but some things didn't change. And the officials understand that if you go complain, you “You won’t receive calls. That's how it happens. But if you're going to complain, it's just going to come back to haunt you, and it might not get you into this game, but it'll get you into another game. They're human, and so it's just part of the game something the Mavs, as a group, need to work on.

Booker made the free throw early in the third quarter to tie the score. Bradley Beal's layup on the ensuing possession gave the Suns the lead for good. Phoenix increased its lead to 28 in the final minute of the quarter, as Booker made 9 of 11 shots from the floor in the frame.

“The book is gone,” Doncic said. “He couldn't miss our shot. He destroyed us.”

Booker, who has a personal rivalry with Doncic dating back to the Mavs' loss to the Suns in the 2021 West Semifinals, saw coverage of Suns fans' interaction with Doncic on social media after the game. He smiled when it was mentioned that the man was wearing a Booker jersey.

“I appreciate your support,” Booker told ESPN. “I don't know what he said. I hope he didn't cross too many lines, and I'll get his information. If you can find it, let me know.”

Booker, who was 17 of 23 from the field, said it “depends on the situation” when asked if he planned to give the man tickets to a future Suns game.

“I hope what he did wasn't too disrespectful, but I know in these crowded environments – we played a playoff series here – I've heard countless things,” Booker told ESPN. “You don't usually hear it at home. I'm sure it was different for Luka, but it's part of the game. I usually don't let what I hear bother me.”