Luka Doncic admits to officiating frustration, vows to have 'fun' - ESPN

DALLAS — With the Mavericks on the brink of elimination, superstar Luka Doncic acknowledged that his frustration with officials has been an issue during the NBA Finals and he vowed to take a different approach during Game 4 on Friday.

«Go back to playing fun,» Doncic said after the Mavericks' film session at the American Airlines Center on Thursday. «We talk about how we come back from [21] points in the fourth quarter in the Finals. We were having fun. We were defending. We were running. Our pace was great. Just taking good shots.»

The Mavs' Game 3 rally fell short in Tuesday's 106-99 loss to the Boston Celtics after Doncic fouled out with 4:12 remaining, the first time in his career that he had fouled out during regulation. He was called for four fouls in the fourth quarter, including his last two within a 26-second span, and expressed displeasure with the officiating during his postgame media availability.

Doncic, as he's prone to do, complained to the referees throughout the Game 3 loss. On a couple of occasions, as the Celtics cut the Mavs' early 13-point lead to one by the end of the first quarter, Doncic's failure to get back on defense led to open shots for Boston.

Doncic, 25, has repeatedly admitted over the course of his career that his tendency to argue with the referees can be problematic. He did so again Thursday, saying that the officials will «have the last word» and that he has «got to go away from that.»

«I just really want to win,» Doncic said. «Sometimes I don't show it the right way, but at the end of the day, I really want to win. I've got to do a better job showing it a different way.»

Doncic has averaged 29.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists during the Finals despite playing on a sprained right