The Lakers have come away undefeated in the NBA Cup so far (3-0) and have become the first team from the Western Conference to qualify for the knockout rounds after a gritty 135-118 win against the Clippers. With less than four minutes left in the game, Kris Dunn and Luka Doncic got into a heated verbal altercation that eventually became a scuffle between the two teams.
Dunn initially pushed Doncic away, and Jaxson Hayes of the Lakers decided he was not going to be a bystander of this incident and got involved to protect his teammate. He shoved Dunn away and was awarded a technical foul for his role in the skirmish, while Kris Dunn got ejected.
JAXSON HAYES VS KRIS DUNN FIGHT. HAYES PROTECTING HIS TEAMMATE LUKA pic.twitter.com/lElaVr4Hge
— Lakers Empire (@LakersEmpire) November 26, 2025
Following the game, both Luka Doncic and Jaxson Hayes spoke to the media about this incident. Doncic revealed to the media that he immediately offered to pay Hayes’ fine on the technical foul, which, as per AS, should be $2,000 this time. Every player is expected to pay $2,000 for their first five technical fouls of the season, which eventually increases incrementally.
“Everybody got each other’s back on this team, so I appreciate him. I’ll pay his fine for sure, but that just shows what kind of team we are,” said Doncic during his postgame sideline interview.
“I got it, that’s what I told him right away. Of course, I appreciate it, I told him right away, ‘thanks for having my back’ and that says a lot about him. That says a lot about this team, everybody got each other’s back,” said Doncic during the postgame press conference, resonating a similar sentiment as his sideline interview.
The Slovenian superstar is expected to earn nearly $46 million this season, while Hayes is on a $3.5 million salary for the season. That means Doncic earns over 13 times more than Hayes. But this kind gesture is not about the money, but the appreciation for having his back as a good teammate.
“Yeah, he said he got me, he definitely said he got me. I mean, I just didn’t like the way he shoved Luka, so I did something about it,” said Hayes after the game. “I feel a lot of camaraderie with this team, I feel like we’re all really together, we’re all really close, so I mean, we all want to protect each other.”
Doncic finished this game with 43 points, nine rebounds, and 13 assists while shooting 50% from the field. Meanwhile, Hayes, who replaced Deandre Ayton in today’s starting lineup, finished with eight points, four rebounds, and three assists, while shooting 75% from the floor.
Even head coach JJ Redick tried to put a positive spin on this incident after the win and claimed it would be something they look at during their tape sessions to understand how such incidents can help boost the team’s morale and chemistry with one another. It is a positive sign for the franchise if all players have each other’s backs in such situations.
