DALLAS — Mavericks star Luka Doncic had only two fouls and his team was trailing the Celtics by 15 points when the fourth quarter began.
About eight minutes into the game, things looked very different: Dallas was back in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, trailing Boston by just three points, and Doncic had fouled out and was gone for good.
It was the fourth time the whistle blew in the fourth quarter of a Finals game against arguably the best player in the league, and it marked just the third time Doncic has been ejected for a foul during a game, either in the regular season or postseason.
“That's never happened to me, not that I can remember,” said Doncic, who was ultimately eliminated with 27 points in a 106-99 loss, talking about being called for four fouls in eight minutes.
“We didn't play physical,” Doncic added. “I don't want to say anything. I got six fouls in the NBA Finals, so basically I'm like (gestures palms out). Oh man, I'm better than that.”
Dallas, trailing by 21 points going into the fourth quarter, was leading 20-2 when Doncic was called for his sixth and final foul 4:12 into the fourth quarter. Doncic was guarding Jaylen Brown and there was contact, but Doncic appeared to be in front of Brown. Dallas challenged the call, with referee Mark Davis saying Doncic was not positioned when Brown ran into him.
“I don't think it was a foul. Nobody thought so,” Derek Lively II said.
Brown also induced Doncic's fifth foul due to questionable contact between the two players. Dallas coach Jason Kidd was asked after the game why he didn't challenge Doncic's fifth foul, saying, “Maybe we should have challenged everybody.”
“Maybe we could have done something differently after that fifth foul to give ourselves a little bit more time, get our defense in shape and get him on his man,” Kyrie Irving said, “but with hindsight, it's all pretty clear. We've got to put this behind us and get ready for Game 4.”
The Mavs, currently trailing the Celtics 3-0, led by 13 early in Game 3. Doncic, who scored 35 points, and Irving were on a roll and the Mavs held a one-point lead at halftime after Boston made a comeback.
Doncic struggled with his shooting, making just 11 of 27 shots, 1 of 7 from the 3-point line, six rebounds and six assists, and he was playing with a chest contusion that required pain-killing injections. Doncic appeared to be in pain at times during Game 3, which likely accounted for at least some of the fouls he drew.
“He definitely has a target on his chest,” Kidd said, “and he's got to be able to defend and know that if he loses we're there to protect him and help him out.”
“Again, he carries a big load on the offensive line,” Kidd continued. “They use him in all of the pick-and-rolls and isolations. He has to be able to make plays on the offensive line where he can rest and put the load on other guys.”
“I think we just needed to keep playing with the same energy, keep playing with the same guys. We were doing well,” Doncic said, “but they kept catching up. We were down 21 in the fourth quarter, but we kept catching up. We're going to keep believing until the end.”
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(Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
