Luka Doncic silenced the Pistons trash talk

Feb 1, 2023 - 6:00 PM

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Luka Doncic might be a demon. He loves the game of basketball to be sure, but it’s possible he relishes more in the opportunity to talk trash to any willing participant. Monday night Detroit Pistons assistant coach Jerome Allen decided to make himself the main character.

“It started in the first quarter...if they’re going to chirp at me I’m going to chirp back. I ain’t scared,” Doncic told Jeff “Skin” Wade in his on-court postgame interview. It’s possible Allen thought he could distract Doncic early enough in the game to slow down the Luka Freight Train. His thought was wrong of course, Doncic went on to score 24 points in the opening frame, missing just a single shot in the 12 minutes.

Surprisingly it didn’t end there for Allen. Instead taking a seat for the remainder of the game, which the Mavericks won 111-105, the assistant coach doubled down until the final seconds of the game. By this point Doncic had 53 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, going 17-of-24 from the floor and 5-of-11 from three. Pistons forward Isaiah Livers even caught a few strays at the end when Doncic looks to ask, “Who are you?”, as he leaves the floor.

Trash talk is part of sports. It’s often what makes basketball so fun. And in reality Allen could have picked anyone else on the roster to pick on — few on the roster showed up to play Monday night. But it’s always a treat to see someone dive into the fray with Doncic, especially when he’s on a heater. It’s as if no one has read the scouting report that Luka would prefer to play while jawing with the other side. It engages a different part of his brain, a part that is often dormant against lower-tier opponents, say...the 13-39 Detroit Pistons. When that is activated is when the demon comes out: