All 76ers

Former Sixers First-Rounder Sounds Off on Luka Doncic’s Early Exit

Former Philadelphia 76ers draft pick Evan Turner was frustrated with Luka Doncic's early exit in Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals.

Justin Grasso

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after fouling out of the game against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter during game three of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after fouling out of the game against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter during game three of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The 2024 NBA Finals are coming to a close, and the series between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics hasn’t been close. As the two teams battled it out for Game 3, Dallas’ star Luka Doncic found himself fouled out, which caused former Philadelphia 76ers forward Evan Turner to sound off on social media.

“Dear [NBA], It should be illegal to foul out Luka [Doncic] while it’s a close game and there are no other [NBA] games on,” Turner wrote on X. “Ya’ll buggin’. And how Luka even get 6 fouls if he don’t try to guard?”

As the Mavs brought the series home on Wednesday night, spectators hoped to see the Western Conference Champions put up a fight. As good as Doncic has been on offense throughout the playoffs, his poor showing on the defensive end of the floor has been all of the talk throughout the Finals series.

Doncic checked in for 38 minutes on Wednesday night. He accounted for 27 points, trailing only Kyrie Irving, who scored 35 in 45 minutes.

In addition to his scoring, Doncic came down with six rebounds and dished out six assists. While Irving and Doncic’s offense kept the game close, the Celtics continue to prove they are simply the better team.

Boston wrapped up their first matchup in Dallas with a 106-99 win. Now, they are one victory away from taking home the trophy.

Considering the NBA Finals haven’t delivered a competitive series with Boston and Dallas, Turner hoped to see the Mavs get a shot to get in the winner’s column after starting 0-2. Instead, they came up short after losing their star player for the night early.

Published |Modified
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

Home/News