Everything Is Painful For Lakers Nation After Clippers Star Gets Blamed For Luka Doncic’s Worrying Exit
via Imago
“He’s just mad I’m busting his a**, bro… I’m giving him buckets,” Luka Doncic said on Kris Dunn back in 2023. Oh, it was a nasty encounter during a Mavs vs. Jazz showdown that would even get a sweet, calm ‘cookie’ fired up when Dunn pointed his finger. Well, poking a bear only landed Dunn in a 50-point defeat. 16 months later, with Doncic now wearing gold and purple, the rivalry has taken a sharp turn. And whether it was intentional or not, it looks like Kris Dunn may have just gotten the last laugh.
On Sunday, the Lakers played their crosstown rivals Clippers. With LeBron James and Doncic teaming up for the seventh time, the game was already a blockbuster in the making. However, an unfortunate incident soon followed where Dunn, who already had many reasons to target Doncic, ran into his right leg and sent the Lakers star to the floor—a massive injury scare, to say the least, that ultimately led to a premature yet temporary exit from the court with just two minutes left in the first quarter. Luka limped all the way into the tunnel, holding on to his hip/upper leg. Ouch!
Thankfully, the Slovenian had 12 points under his name, which helped the Lakers get an early 34-28 lead. Luckily for the Lakers nation, the 26-year-old returned back on the court midway through the second quarter, and added another 17 points to his name, to ultimately lead the Lakers to a close 108-102 win and their sixth ‘W’ in a row! All good and dandy up to this point but one can’t deny the fact that the Lakers star felt discomfort in the third straight game in the same spot!
“It was on the fall, I think,” Doncic said, referring to the foul by Dunn. “Just a little tight. But then I got kneed in the knee. Third straight game in the same spot, so kind of struggle on that right leg. But I’m good.”
While the Lakers fans can relax about the fact that Doncic might be just alright, they did not spare the Clippers guard who racked up three fouls in 5 minutes and perhaps was responsible for Luka’s fall.
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Fans slam Kris Dunn after Luka Doncic’s injury scare
No matter what, the Lakers have won the Luka Doncic trade—not just for this season, but for the long haul. However, everything comes at a price. Just like Anthony Davis carried the injury-prone label for years, the Mavericks viewed Luka the same way—a brilliant but fragile superstar.
Until now, the Lakers hadn’t faced that issue. But after tonight’s scary exit, that might change. And of course, Lakers fans are holding their breath.
Even before any concrete evidence surfaced, fans jumped the gun, pinning the blame on Kris Dunn for Luka Doncic’s injury. One fan even dug up an earlier play, posting, “Did you all catch Kris Dunn’s attempt to hurt Luka Doncic??”
Yes, there was a collision early in the first quarter, where Luka hit the floor—and now, it’s fueling speculation that this might have been the moment everything went wrong.
He’s fine he’s fine pic.twitter.com/8RJCXaXwUQ
— Paulie Knicks (@PaulieAleno) March 3, 2025
It was Dunn who engaged in the play, but there wasn’t any proof to claim that he did it on purpose. Some fans were upset that Dunn got away easily. A fan wrote, “Still don’t know how that wasn’t a flagrant. No move was made on the ball just ran up, then shoved his knee into him.“
And do you know where it led to? A fan writing, “Dunn must pay…” I don’t know whether Dunn will pay for it, but the Clippers are paying. Since Luka’s exit, the Lakers have come alive, at least on the defensive end. The team tightened the screws, leaving the visitors nothing to munch over 7 minutes in the second quarter. Plus, there was good news too! Luka Doncic was back on the court in the second quarter.
Lastly, there are naysayers in every aspect. A fan didn’t seem bothered by the injury scare, as they wrote, “Injury prone like AD. Turnovers and airballs like Russ. Fat like Andrew Bynyum. Not good so far…“ Yes, Luka hasn’t been at his greatest touch in the last few games. It’s also important to notice that he hasn’t played a single since 2024 Christmas and straight away logged in minutes for the Lakers. So, it’s better to trust the process and look into the future.
Can the Clippers stage a comeback? Let us know in the comments below!
