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Luka Dončić Promises to Pay Teammate's Fine After Scuffle vs. Clippers

Lakers have each other's backs.

Kyle Koster

Lakers and Clippers players scuffle in NBA Cup action.
Lakers and Clippers players scuffle in NBA Cup action. / NBA
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Luka Dončić had an extremely eventful night on Tuesday as his Los Angeles Lakers raced past the Los Angeles Clippers to move their NBA Cup record to a perfect 3-0. The superstar scored 43 points and dished out 13 assists, then had some thoughts about the alternative courts the league uses for the in-season tournament.

He also got involved in another situation with Kris Dunn.

Late in the fourth quarter, Dunn threw Dončić to the floor, which did not draw a positive reaction from the Lakers. Dončić then got up and approached Dunn, who placed the basketball between the two of them and pressed it into Dončić's chest. That's when Jaxson Hayes jumped in to protect the face of the franchise, pushing Dunn from behind.

Dunn, who has a history with Dončić, was ejected. Hayes was assessed a technical. If he's worried at all about the league stepping in and levying a fine, Dončić assured everyone that he would be covering the punishment.

"Everybody's got each other's back on this team, he said. "I'll pay his fine for sure."

Classy move from Dončić, who like his teammates, is now $53,093 richer after clinching a spot in the quarterfinals of this tournament. It also feels like a good sign for the chemistry of this Lakers team that sits second in the Western Conference looking like a serious contender.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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