Luka Doncic earned an ejection Sunday after a shot to the groin of Collin Sexton that officials saw as intentional.
Luka gets ejected for hitting Collin Sexton 😳 pic.twitter.com/op2KXrPAdT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 10, 2021
Doncic left the court with a meme-worthy face of surprise, and that’s because he said the blow was not intentional. Via Tim MacMahon of ESPN:
“After I saw the video, I knew I hit him, but it wasn’t nothing on purpose,” said Doncic... “I think that kind of stuff happens a lot in games, but I don’t know. That’s my explanation. It obviously wasn’t on purpose. It was just two guys fighting for a rebound, I guess.”
Sexton had Doncic’s back.
“It was just a boxout play,” Sexton said. “Usually, whenever someone is handchecking, then you punch down or swing down. It was just in the groin, but it’s all good.”
Even if it was an accident, referees can’t judge intent, only results. And the result was clear: Doncic punched Sexton in the groin, and that will earn a Flagrant 2.
The ejection leaves Doncic still one technical foul short of an automatic one-game suspension.
Even without their young star, Dallas held on for a comfortable 124-97 win over Cleveland.
