Nuggets' Nikola Jokic Calls Mavs' Luka Doncic 'Really Bad' for NBA All-Star Game
The NBA All-Star Game has become a focus of criticism for the lack of effort some of the league's top names show during the event. The East All-Stars pulled off a 211-186 victory over the West, with many calling for more competitiveness. In a sense, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has become the main focus of the conversation.
Doncic, who finished with seven points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, acknowledged that he doesn't know how to fix the All-Star Game but mentioned how most players don't want to get injured. He mentioned his mentality is to "follow the lead" of the other players on the court.
"I mean, yeah, when people come here playing 40 minutes, they don't want to get injured, everybody just gets out of the way," Doncic said. "I don't know how to fix that, but I just follow the lead."
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Doncic's close friend, Nikola Jokic, known for his lack of effort during the All-Star Game, joked that Doncic was "terrible" for the event and was "worse" than him.
"Luka's terrible. Luka's really bad for this game," Jokic said. "He's worse than me. 100 percent."
One of the viral plays Doncic had during the game was a full-court heave with over 30 seconds remaining before halftime. He defended the selection jokingly by replying to a post on social media: "2 for 1... analytics" from the locker room.
Jokic joked that he couldn't believe Doncic threw up that shot and said he was "mad" at the Slovenian superstar for taking it.
"No. I couldn't believe it," Jokic joked about Doncic's shot. "I was mad at him. I was actually mad at him. Crazy."
The highlight of the NBA All-Star Game experience for Doncic is the people he can see who are all gathered in one place for the event, whether on the court during the game or in the locker room.
"Every time I'm really excited to be here, all of the people you see, the players you share a locker room with, LeBron, Steph, KD, they've been doing this for a long time. So it's an unbelievable feeling," Doncic said.
Doncic, who has averaged 34.2 points, 9.5 assists, and 8.8 rebounds in 47 games for the Dallas Mavericks this season, is far more focused on the upcoming matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday at American Airlines Center to begin a strong post-All-Star break run with the Mavs than he is on an exhibition game.
