Mavericks' Luka Doncic is as confused about his shush celebration vs. Clippers as everyone else

Scott Rafferty

Mavericks' Luka Doncic is as confused about his shush celebration vs. Clippers as everyone else image

The Clippers were on the receiving end of another big-time shot from Mavericks star Luka Doncic on Tuesday.

With less than 30 seconds remaining in a one-point game, the ball found its way to the three-time All-Star on a broken possession with the shot clock winding down. All Doncic had the time to do was throw up a deep 3-pointer over the outstretched hands of Clippers forward Nicolas Batum, and... it touched nothing but the net.

It was a home game for the Mavericks, and yet Doncic celebrated the bucket by looking at the fans in attendance and shushing them.

It begs the question: Who was Doncic shushing? Was someone in particular heckling him? Was it directed toward a certain player? Or was he hearing it from the Clippers' bench all game long?

The answer: Not even he knows.

"I don't know," Doncic responded postgame when asked about his celebration. "I wanted a celebration. I don't know why I did that honestly. I didn't know what to do.

"I'm not going to shush our fans, so I don't know what I was doing honestly."

MORE: Redrafting the 2018 NBA Draft: Doncic claims No. 1 pick, who goes next?

In addition to adding another clutch shot to his career highlight reel, Doncic finished with 35 points, 11 rebounds and five assists against the Clippers, marking the 25th 35-10-5 performance to this point of his young career.

His scorching start to the season has him in early MVP conversations, and the Mavericks are near the top of the Western Conference standings with an 8-5 record.

Doncic might struggle to come up with celebrations on the fly, but he sure knows what he's doing on the court.

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.