On Friday night, Luka Dončić announced the game.
Dončić started dancing with the ball at the top of the key and 2023–24 Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert in front of him with 9.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Mavericks trailing by two points. He hit the Minnesota Timberwolves center with a series of dribble moves before nailing a stepback three over Gobert’s outstretched arm with 3.1 seconds left, a shot that won the game for Dallas and ended any Minnesota hopes of winning.
“Motherf*cker! You can’t f*cking guard me!”- Luka Doncic to Rudy Gobert 😳 pic.twitter.com/qV2AsJTOPW
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) May 25, 2024
The icy Dončić viciously trash talked Gobert, telling the Timberwolves center he can’t stop him and adding a few more harsh remarks as he backed up along the court after making the jumper.
Dončić continued beyond that, however. He spoke about the winning play with the Inside the NBA team on TNT after the game. Dončić responded well to Shaquille O’Neal’s question on his mental process when a big guy shifts onto him, and he kept trolling Gobert in the process.
In the Western Conference finals against the Timberwolves, Dončić helped the Mavericks establish a 2-0 lead with a game-high 32 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds.