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Lakers guard Luka Doncic gets a hand slap Monday from teammate Dorian Finney-Smith after scoring against the Utah Jazz during his debut at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Yes, it was a tale of two arenas Monday night, where visceral reactions to the blockbuster trade that shook the NBA a week ago were evident in Los Angeles and Dallas.
Lakers fans rejoiced during Luka Doncic’s debut at Crypto.com Arena, donning team-issued No. 77 jerseys and chanting “Luu-ka” at every opportunity during a win over the Utah Jazz.
Meanwhile at American Airlines Center, Mavericks fans were dejected and ejected because they objected to the trade of Doncic to L.A. by hoisting signs and loudly calling for the firing of general manager Nico Harrison during an overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Harrison has been subjected to intense resentment from fans since trading the immensely talented and popular Doncic to the Lakers for the immensely talented but often injured big man Anthony Davis. It certainly didn’t help the mood in Texas when Davis exited his Mavericks debut Saturday with an adductor injury after dominating with 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in 31 minutes. Davis is expected to be sidelined for a month.
A thousand or so people, some wearing “Fire Nico” T-shirts, protested outside the arena before that game. The ire escalated Monday night, with the crowd booing lustily each time a fan was led from their seats to the exit for violating the NBA code of conduct.
Read more: Plaschke: The Los Angeles Lukas! Newly acquired Doncic dazzles in his Lakers debut
Two fans held up “Fire Nico” signs, and one was seen mouthing those same words on the video screens before being ejected. Later in the game, two men were shown the door after a profane shouting match with Mark Cuban, the longtime Mavericks owner who was seated near the team bench.
“In the first incident, the guest brought in a sign that broke the following rule included in the NBA Code of Conduct: Clothing, garments or signs displaying explicit language, profanity or derogatory characterization towards any person(s),” Mavericks spokesman Erin Finegold…
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Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2025-02-11 16:53:00
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