Mavs' Doncic Uses Pistons Fans' 'Luka Sucks!' Chant as Fuel: 'I Love It'
DETROIT — Luka Doncic continued his historic 30-point triple-double streak on Saturday night, guiding the Dallas Mavericks to a 142-124 victory. He totaled 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists on the night, recording his fifth consecutive 30-point triple-double — setting a new NBA record.
Doncic had some help from the Little Caesars Arena crowd in his performance. Pistons fans chanted "Luka sucks! Luka sucks!" throughout the second quarter, providing Doncic with extra motivation to put on a show.
"I'm good. I don't know why would they do that," Doncic said. "I love it. They know it's not true, and they keep going, so I don't know."
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Doncic started off the game mostly distributing, recording five points and four assists in the first quarter. When the fans started chanting about Doncic, he turned it on to close out the half, scoring 21 of his 26 points before the break in the period.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd has experienced his fair share of interactions with rival fans during his playing career. Kidd emphasized how Doncic tends to get "sparked" by these interactions and if that's the case, he'd like to see it happen more.
“Well, we know he doesn’t suck,” Kidd said. “If that’s what sparked him, I think we know he enjoys when people talk to him. If that’s what sparked him, we would like for that to happen a lot more.”
Doncic has averaged 34.7 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.0 rebounds in 56 games this season as he continues to make NBA history frequently.
With Doncic being focused on guiding the Mavs to victories as opposed to fixating on statistics, the next chance for Dallas to win a game will be on Monday when facing the Chicago Bulls at United Center — ending a two-game road trip.
