NBA Says Luka Doncic Trip During Lakers-Wolves Should Have Been Foul

The moment in question came with roughly 33 seconds left in the game.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic on Apr 25, 2025. / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The end of the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 4 vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night was quite a frustrating one for L.A., thanks in part to (1) a foul call LeBron James thought should have been a turnover, and (2) a no-call Luka Doncic thought should have been a foul.

As for the one concerning Doncic—which came with about 33 seconds left in the game and the Lakers trailing 114–113—the guard was running the ball up the court when it seemed he was tripped by Minnesota Timberwolves wing Jaden McDaniels. There was no call, though, and Doncic resultingly lost out on a chance to tie things up at the foul line.

"That was a blatant trip. He doesn't just fall on his own," head coach JJ Redick said after the game, expressing his anger at how the moment went down. "We rewatched it, he gets tripped. So we should have been at the free-throw line."

Well, one day later, it seems the league has determined that Redick was right.

In its Last Two Minutes report released Monday, the NBA admitted that the initial call was incorrect and that Doncic should have been awarded a personal foul as a result of the illegal foot contact from McDaniels.

The NBA says Luka Doncic was tripped by Jaden McDaniels with 33 seconds left in Game 4. It was the only incorrect call on the L2M report. pic.twitter.com/6NTiqSh12j

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 28, 2025

While vindication is always sweet, it's also probably too little, too late for both Redick and Doncic, who no doubt would rather have just won the game—or, at the very least, had that chance to tie it up. Now, they find themselves in a must-win scenario for Game 5, scheduled for Wednesday, April 30 at 10 p.m. ET.

Minnesota leads the series 3-1.

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