Luka Dončić's Awful Defense On Display in One Hilariously Bad Highlight Reel

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Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks will be looking to avoid a sweep when they host the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.
The Mavs are in this position because Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the Celtics are a very good team but they're also partly there because while Doncic is a star who can score a ton of points, he struggles on the defensive end of floor.
Doncic's defensive effort was called out by ESPN's Brian Windhorst after Game 3. Now there's a highlight reel going viral of Doncic's defensive struggles and it shows how bad he can be at that end of the floor.
Check this out:
1:24 of Luka Doncic playing the worst defense you will ever see in the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/88SRPe0All
— 𝙍𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙮 ☘️ (@CelticsRiley) June 13, 2024
Fans had jokes:
Luka plays defense like I do when I’m playing my third game of 21 with the boys in 85 degree weather https://t.co/YWnpsyBR8i
— DohNuts (@dohnutsnodough) June 14, 2024
Throws his arms up after every bucket too like it was someone else’s fault https://t.co/RF3C3eoQxo
— Tyler Krusz (@TylerKruszTV) June 14, 2024
Joe on the defensive gameplan: "If you see Luka in front of you, run past him." https://t.co/eQvzWJ0Jrv
— N8Dogg (@N8_Dogg_) June 14, 2024
If you see Luka, just go around him like a revolving door. https://t.co/7x2gat09lc
— 🍀☘️RDC5G (@gloryg0) June 13, 2024
Luka Dončic plays defense like he’s guarding the main character in the Disney movie. #nbafinals pic.twitter.com/yqMY2myIsv
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) June 14, 2024

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.
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