Luka Dončić Plays Coy About Trash Talk To Rudy Gobert
The Minnesota Timberwolves appeared on track to even up their Western Conference finals series, but Luka Dončić had other plans.
Dallas rallied back in the fourth quarter, and with 3.1 seconds left, Dončić took Rudy Gobert to the spin cycle and hit a clutch step-back 3-pointer to give the Mavericks a 109-108 lead. Naz Reid had a chance to spoil the moment, but he missed a 26-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Mavericks went up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series after winning Game 2 at Target Center on Friday, and the man of the night was Dončić. The game-winning jumper was incredible in its own right, but the 25-year-old’s trash talk went viral and stole the show.
“You can’t (expletive) guard me,” Dončić appeared to mouth at Gobert.
A reporter referenced the line in the postgame news conference, but the All-NBA star didn’t further bury Gobert.
“I didn’t say that. I was speaking Slovenian,” Dončić told reporters, per The Athletic.
A likely story from Dončić, who also appeared to mouth, “Go home (expletive),” when Reid missed his potential game-winner. But it’s not the first time the Mavericks superstar cooked a defender nor was it the first time he hit a step-back jumper over Gobert.
“I didn’t see or hear it, but he says that every game. So nothing new,” Gobert told ESPN of Dončić’s trash talk, per Tim McMahon.
Again, Dončić has the ability to make anyone look silly, but it wasn’t the best look for Gobert, especially after Nikola Jokić also made the four-time Defensive Player of the Year look like a fool.
Minnesota did prevail over Denver, though. And the Timberwolves will try to break out from their 2-0 series deficit starting in Game 3 on Sunday.