It was not much of a night for Lakers star Luka Doncic. He entered Game 3 coming off back-to-back stellar performances for the Lakers in Games 1 and 2 of their series against the Timberwolves, games the Lakers split in Los Angeles. But coming into Game 3, Doncic was feeling a serious rumbling in the stomach, dealing with what was later reported to be a stomach virus.
The virus affected his play, as he produced only 17 points on 6-for-16 shooting, down severely from the 34.0 points he had been averaging in the series.
And in what was a bizarre night all around for Doncic, there was a situation in which at least one fan at the Target Center in Minneapolis apparently (or allegedly) blew a whistle, which stopped Doncic short during a fast-break opportunity and led to an easy Timberwolves basket.
A fan blew a whistle to confuse players several times tonight. And it’s finally getting addressed in the 4th quarter of the game?🤷♀️ pic.twitter.com/v6iZszHXdm
— Missy 🏄♂️ (@missysinghsongs) April 26, 2025
While some claimed that the whistle was a figment of Doncic’s imagination–designed to hold back the embarrassment of having given up defensively at midcourt–others reported hearing it throughout the game.
That led to a decidedly odd decision by officials. ESPN Lakers reporter Dave McMenamin wrote on Twitter/X, “The public address announcer just told the crowd that any fan using a whistle will be removed from the arena.”
The public address announcer just told the crowd that any fan using a whistle will be removed from the arena.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 26, 2025
The whistling issue could be something worth watching in Game 4. But more important will be Doncic’s health, because he clearly was not himself on Friday. The Lakers hung in with the Timberwolves (the final was 116-104) mostly because of 38 points and 10 rebounds from LeBron James, but the Wolves got 30 points from defensive ace Jaden McDaniels and another 30 from star Anthony Edwards.
Doncic will need a massive IV and some ear plugs in hopes of a quick turnaround on Sunday, because the Lakers will play again at 3:30 ET in Minnesota.
It was not much of a night for Lakers star Luka Doncic. He entered Game 3 coming off back-to-back stellar performances for the Lakers in Games 1 and 2 of their series against the Timberwolves, games the Lakers split in Los Angeles. But coming into Game 3, Doncic was feeling a serious rumbling in the stomach, dealing with what was later reported to be a stomach virus.
The virus affected his play, as he produced only 17 points on 6-for-16 shooting, down severely from the 34.0 points he had been averaging in the series.
And in what was a bizarre night all around for Doncic, there was a situation in which at least one fan at the Target Center in Minneapolis apparently (or allegedly) blew a whistle, which stopped Doncic short during a fast-break opportunity and led to an easy Timberwolves basket.
A fan blew a whistle to confuse players several times tonight. And it’s finally getting addressed in the 4th quarter of the game?🤷♀️ pic.twitter.com/v6iZszHXdm
— Missy 🏄♂️ (@missysinghsongs) April 26, 2025
While some claimed that the whistle was a figment of Doncic’s imagination–designed to hold back the embarrassment of having given up defensively at midcourt–others reported hearing it throughout the game.
That led to a decidedly odd decision by officials. ESPN Lakers reporter Dave McMenamin wrote on Twitter/X, “The public address announcer just told the crowd that any fan using a whistle will be removed from the arena.”
The public address announcer just told the crowd that any fan using a whistle will be removed from the arena.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 26, 2025
The whistling issue could be something worth watching in Game 4. But more important will be Doncic’s health, because he clearly was not himself on Friday. The Lakers hung in with the Timberwolves (the final was 116-104) mostly because of 38 points and 10 rebounds from LeBron James, but the Wolves got 30 points from defensive ace Jaden McDaniels and another 30 from star Anthony Edwards.
Doncic will need a massive IV and some ear plugs in hopes of a quick turnaround on Sunday, because the Lakers will play again at 3:30 ET in Minnesota.
