The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Phoenix Suns 111-101 on Sunday evening. In the process, they evened up what was once a 2-0 series at 2-2.
Suns point guard Chris Paul struggled mightily during Game 3. He recorded four fouls in the first half, his fifth with 9:32 left in the third quarter, and his sixth with 8:58 to go in the 4th quarter.
Ultimately, it was Paul’s fourth foul that really seemed to bother certain people.
Chris Paul picks up his 4th foul at the end of the 1st half 👀 pic.twitter.com/Z1YXxJYSaI
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) May 8, 2022
World renowned rapper, Lil Wayne, couldn’t help himself when he saw it:
Luka a ho
— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) May 8, 2022
Reactions were swift:
Luka hurting everyone’s feels https://t.co/4CYCxNzX4Q
— NBA•Fan (@Prime_LeBron23) May 9, 2022
Well damn coming from the goat himself https://t.co/REDBCaF2hP
— TeddyPendherassdown (@HabachiP901) May 9, 2022
Lmaooooo y u mad bruh https://t.co/Akn0NLc2V6
— D (@istayhighnfly6) May 9, 2022
Fuck you go cut ya hair ho https://t.co/IaZ5zv6Alb
— Johnny Cuin (@jrcuin12) May 9, 2022
One person who was totally unbothered, though? Doncic himself.
When Paul pressed him regarding that fourth foul, the Mavericks star kept it real.
Luka Doncic says Chris Paul asked him after the foul call in the final second of the first half, “Did I push you that hard?”
Doncic’s answer: “No, but it was a smart play.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 8, 2022
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd also came to his star player’s defense after the game.
“I thought JB and Luka and those guys did a really good job of understanding when we were in the bonus,” he said of his players’ abilities to draw fouls.
“I think we’re being taught by one of the best point guards ever on the other side of how to do things. That’s pretty cool this time of year.”
Jason Kidd credits Chris Paul for teaching Luka Doncic and the Mavs how to draw fouls in crucial situations pic.twitter.com/GCsduzSOlD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 8, 2022
“I think we’re being taught by one of the best point guards ever on the other side of how to do things. That’s pretty cool this time of year.”
Drawing fouls is part of the game. Paul and Lil Wayne can cry about it all they want, but what Doncic is doing is par for the course.
Moreover, Paul is the absolute worst person to complain about this given his dirty play tendencies and how much he flops himself.
Patrick Mahomes went all out for Brittany. https://t.co/xNMYrlhvWl
— Game 7 (@game7__) May 9, 2022
All in all, though – it’s easy to see why the Suns and their fans are frustrated. They owned a commanding lead in this series and are now watching it dwindle away a la last year’s finals.
Will the Mavericks be able to shock the world and eliminate Phoenix from the postseason?
Time will tell.
Related: Woman Behind Dallas Stars Bench, Natalie Gauvreau, Identified (Photos)
