Tempers flared in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena. With Dalton Knecht set to score on a fastbreak, Bruce Brown committed a dirty foul, which angered both Luka Doncic and Jarred Vanderbilt. A scuffle soon broke out, with coaches and officials being forced to play peacemaker.
Appreciate Vando and Luka having Dalton’s back
Bruce Brown is a complete clown for that bs pic.twitter.com/gcFDkJ5Yi3
— Teo 🇲🇰 (@LakeshowTeo) March 5, 2025
You can’t really blame the Lakers for being upset there. Brown, who had four points (2-5 FG), five rebounds, one assist, and one steal on the night, could have caused a significant injury as he grabbed Knecht’s arm and dragged him down. To make matters worse, he appeared to be taunting the rookie and was smiling after the scuffle, too.
The officials weren’t going to let Brown get away with that foul, of course. The 28-year-old was assessed a flagrant 1 and was also slapped with a technical foul. Vanderbilt got a technical, too, for his part in that melee.
It was interesting to see that the Lakers’ head coach, JJ Redick, rushed over to Vanderbilt when that scuffle broke out. Redick appeared desperate to ensure that the forward stayed out of trouble, and that might be down to another tense recent incident.
Vanderbilt and Anthony Edwards shoved each other during Thursday’s game between the Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, which resulted in both men getting technicals. Redick probably doesn’t want this to become a habit, and understandably so.
This incident aside, there was a lot to like about what Vanderbilt did on the court against the Pelicans. The 25-year-old scored a season-high 12 points (4-7 FG) and also recorded eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two blocks. He played his part in the Lakers coming away with a dominant 136-115 win.
As for Doncic, he shone yet again for the Lakers. The Slovenian had 30 points (9-19 FG), eight rebounds, 15 assists, one steal, and one block as the Lakers improved to 39-21 this season. This was their seventh straight win, and they’re on an absolute roll right now.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, dropped to 17-45 with the loss here and, unlike the Lakers, are already looking forward to next season.
Luka Doncic Also Cursed At A Referee During The Game
Brown wasn’t the only one Doncic was upset with during this game between the Lakers and the Pelicans. The five-time All-Star was seen hurling abuses at an official at one point as he appeared to be displeased about a call.
Luka cursed at the ref in Slovenian 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/2WBR18nyfB
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) March 5, 2025
Some fans pointed out that Doncic was cursing in Serbian here, not Slovenian. That isn’t all too surprising either, based on his past comments. Doncic once revealed that he curses in four different languages to avoid technical fouls. It’s a smart strategy, but he still tends to rack up a lot more technicals than you’d like.
Doncic had been keeping his emotions in check when he first arrived in Los Angeles, but he is back to his old ways now. He is playing with that swagger that we had grown accustomed to and is putting on a show on a nightly basis.
Doncic will be in action next when the Lakers take on the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday at 10 PM ET. Expect him to dominate in that contest as well.
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