'Luka Sucks' Chants ... 'In Detroit?': Mavs Star Takes Jab at Pistons Fans

The Detroit Pistons' fan base jeered Luka Doncic after he got off to a slow start in what ultimately ended up being a blowout win for the Dallas Mavericks.

Dalton Trigg | Mar 10, 2024

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Dallas Mavericks

Although Luka Doncic made NBA history by recording his league-best sixth consecutive 30-point triple-double during the Dallas Mavericks' blowout win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, it didn't seem like things were trending in that direction early on.

During the first quarter, Doncic started off shooting just 2-5 from the field to go along with four turnovers. The five-time All-Star wasn't looking like himself, and Pistons fans let him know about it in the second quarter with "Luka sucks!" chants.

Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons — Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

It was a "famous last words" situation for Pistons fans, as Doncic went on to finished with 39 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and two blocks in 36 minutes while shooting 13-24 from the field. He passed Russell Westbrook (2016-17) for the most consecutive 30-point triple-doubles with six, and he extended his all-time record of 35-point triple-doubles to five games.

After the game, Doncic was asked about jeering he received from Pistons fans, and he took a slight jab at them while smiling.

Postgame Reactions: Luka Doncic Makes History, Tim Hardaway Jr. Gets Hot as Mavs Beat Pistons

“In Detroit? Come on, man,” Doncic said, likely hinting at the fact that the Pistons are 10-53 on the season. “I’m good. I don’t know why they would do that. ... I love it. They know it's not true and they keep going, so I love it."

On the season, Doncic is averaging 34.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 9.8 assists while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from deep. Despite those unreal numbers, though, Doncic isn't considered the favorite to win the MVP award. If Dallas can continue to string together wins and climb into a top-six seed in the West, Doncic will be hard to argue against.

Published Mar 10, 2024

DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.