'I Ain't Scared': Mavs' Luka Doncic Produces Trash-Talking Masterclass vs. Pistons
As the Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, 111-105, Luka Doncic couldn't resist chirping toward the opposing bench.
In the end, Doncic racked up 53 points after returning from a one-game absence due to an ankle injury, completing his masterpiece (17 of 24 shots from the field, 5 of 11 from behind the arc). Seven seconds into the game, the Slovenian superstar walked over to the Pistons' bench and started talking trash to Pistons assistant coach Jerome Allen.
“Yeah. I do sometimes," Doncic said when asked if he enjoys trash talk during games. "It was their assistant coach. He started chirping in the first quarter. So, they didn’t like when I chirped back. They said to me ‘play basketball.’ If they’re going to chirp at me, I’m going to chirp back. I ain’t scared.”
Doncic was unimpressed by attempts to separate him from the bench by Pistons players, including second-year forward Isaiah Livers.
The broadcast footage shows Doncic firing back at Livers, mocking him by asking, "Who are you?"
As Doncic continued to score bucket after bucket on the Pistons' defense, he made it a point to make Allen — along with the rest of the Detroit bench — hear about it. When was asked to describe what Allen had said to him to command such a continued focus of trash talk, Doncic didn't share the details.
“I don’t want to say the words,” Doncic explained in the postgame presser. “I have no problem with that. It’s basketball. It gets me going for sure.”
Pistons coach Dwane Casey, who reminded reporters that he had coached elite NBA trash talkers Gary Payton and Kevin Garnett, that the exchanges between Doncic and the Detroit being was "a bunch of nothing."
“It’s a bunch of nothing, a bunch of nothing,” Casey said. “We’ve seen worse. Remember I coached Gary Payton and Kevin Garnett, so that tonight was zero as far as chirping. I liked it. I thought it really got us going, and that’s the way it should be with competitive guys. Doncic is competitive as heck. I love the way he plays, the way he carries himself, and I love the way our guys responded. They weren’t intimidated. So it’s all good. It was clean, nothing dirty about it.
Casey explained further: “It’s good if that’s what he needs to get himself going and tell himself. But he doesn’t need any help. He’s a great player without all the other stuff, but it is what it is.”
Doncic is often seen using rival players, coaches, and fans as fuel to motivate him, especially when he's playing on the road. The Pistons were just the latest to be on the unfortunate end of it.
After scoring 53 points, Doncic tied Dirk Nowitzki for the second-highest scoring performance in Mavs history. Doncic had previously set the franchise record when he scored 60 in an overtime win over the New York Knicks earlier this season. Dallas needs all of the big games from Doncic that he can handle as they improved to just 27-25 on the season, ranking them sixth in the Western Conference standings.
Doncic is having one of the more brilliant seasons in NBA history, averaging 33.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in 46 performances. Against the Pistons, his overall line was 53 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals, including scoring 24 of the Mavs' initial 30 points.
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