Mavs’ Luka Doncic Jokes About His 7-7-7 Stat Line in All-Star Game: ‘That Was My Plan’
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic participated in his fifth NBA All-Star Game on Sunday in Indianapolis. In his fourth time starting in the All-Star game, he finished with seven points, seven assists, and seven rebounds in 23 minutes of action, with the Western Conference All-Stars losing 211-186.
"Oh, it was fun. It's always fun for me, just being here — fifth time being All-Star," Doncic said. "it's unbelievable. So, just having fun out here."
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When Doncic, who wears jersey number 77, was asked if he was aware that he finished with sevens across the board in points, rebounds, and assists, he joked that it was a planned result.
"Really? You see? Yeah. That was my plan," Doncic joked.
The highlight of the NBA All-Star Game experience for Doncic is the people he can see that are all gathered in one place for the event. Notably, he enjoys seeing the other players in the locker room and interacting with them, including players he looked up to, like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, his close friend Nikola Jokic, and his former teammate Jalen Brunson.
"Every time I'm really excited to be here, all of the people you see, the players you share a locker room with, LeBron, Steph, KD, they've been doing this for a long time. So it's an unbelievable feeling," Doncic said.
Doncic won't ever be accused of being the hardest participating player in the All-Star game. The commentary from Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green expressed how Doncic and Jokic will never compete hard in the game.
“I don’t think Luka is ever going to play hard enough in an All-Star game to win MVP. He’s like Jokic, they don’t care," Green said. "‘I’m here because I have to be. I’m here so I don’t get fined.’”
Among the highlight plays Docnic had was a failed self-alley-oop attempt, which Doncic laughed about with reporters, saying it's part of the fun of the All-Star experience.
"I mean, just a little joke," Doncic said. "It's the All-Star game. We're just all having fun."
At halftime, Doncic responded on social media to a post about his full-court shot attempt with over 30 seconds left before the break. Doncic joked: "2 for 1... analytics."
Jokic, who inbounded the ball to Doncic before the full-court shot attempt, called Doncic taking the shot "crazy."
"No. I couldn't believe it," Jokic joked about Doncic's shot. "I was mad at him. I was actually mad at him. Crazy."
It has become an annual discussion about how little effort has gone into the All-Star game. Doncic admitted that many players want to avoid getting hurt when asked if he defers to some of the older All-Stars like James, Durant, and Stephen Curry, whom he's playing alongside.
"I mean, yeah, when people come here playing 40 minutes, they don't want to get injured, everybody just gets out of the way," Doncic said. "I don't know how to fix that, but I just follow the lead."
Jokic joked that Doncic is "terrible" for the All-Star game and is "worse" than him.
"Luka's terrible. Luka's really bad for this game," Jokic said. "He's worse than me. 100 percent."
Doncic has averaged 34.2 points, 9.5 assists, and 8.8 rebounds in 47 games this season. He is more focused on the upcoming matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday to begin a strong post-All-Star break run with the Mavs than he is on an exhibition game.
