WATCH: Luka Doncic fires back at ESPN reporter after criticism over getting fan ejected vs. Suns

Wednesday night ended up being a frustrating evening for the Mavericks, as they accumulated their third-consecutive defeat after losing to the Suns by a 23-point margin. One of the most disappointed was team star Luka Doncic, who even had a fan thrown out of the game for trash talking. 

As it is usual, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported on the incident, as he’s commended to cover the Dallas franchise’s news. Once the game was over, the Slovenian attended the press and discussed with the reporter about what truly happened with the heckler.

The point guard claimed that MacMahon has always been the first to write negative reports about him, and that he was twisting the truth to find a story to write about. “You’re the first one to put out something bad about me. I just find it funny, you’re always the first to put bad stuff about me,” he said postgame.

Luka Doncic & Tim MacMahon's postgame discussion about Luka having a fan ejected.

Video: @DuaneRankin pic.twitter.com/dkIfTPNrcn

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For over a minute, the pair kept on arguing, as the NBA insider insisted that “99% of what he writes” about him is positive. MacMahon kept asking on what was the problem with what the fan said, while Luka insisted that the heckler had been yelling throughout the entire game.

“Luka, you’re tired! Get your ass on the treadmill!” the fan reportedly shouted. The European star then said that he doesn’t want to ask to eject a fan as they pay to attend the NBA match, but this was the first time he ever does so.

MacMahon is the same reporter that earlier this season received criticism from Mavericks coach Jason Kidd: “Write some positive sh*t. I’m giving you a f***ing answer. It’s okay to write positive stuff, people will read your positive sh*t. You don’t always have to be negative. Let’s see some positive stuff on positive people who are doing their jobs on a nightly basis. We’re only into this year, we can’t go back to last year. That’s the f***ing problem. Have a good night.”

This situation inspired reactions from stars like LeBron James, who stood by Kidd’s side. “For J to curse you know he wasn’t happy at all! I don’t think I ever heard him curse. I mean from competing vs him, teaming up with him, and playing for him. Never! He was HOT and quite frankly RIGHT!! Love J Kidd!” he wrote on X.

Suns star Devin Booker exploded with 46-point performance to deliver Mavs their third-straight loss

With this Wednesday’s victory, Phoenix have matched their longest-winning streak of the current campaign and this is partly due to Devin Booker‘s monstrous performance. The point guard dropped in 22 of his 46 points in a decisive third quarter, which eventually saw the game end 132 to 109.

“I just think when teams have a recent playoff series against each other, that just heightens the atmosphere and heightens everything,” Booker said. “The media does a good job of continuing it because they know it gets traction, which is good for the game, it’s good for viewership. I have no personal problem with anybody from Dallas, no fans or anything.”

On the other hand, Luka put up 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists in the loss without his co-star Kyrie Irving. The Slovenian believes they started out strong, but deflated throughout the contest.

“I think we played very physical the first 17-18 minutes,” Doncic expressed. “But then our physicality went down and that’s when we struggled. We’ve got to be physical the whole game.”