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Luka’s Worst Nightmare Will Officiate Pivotal Game 3

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Tony Brothers is set to ref the Lakers-Timberwolves game.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers will meet tonight for a pivotal Game 3 of the NBA playoffs. Their first-round matchup has given fans plenty of excitement. But now, it seems like things are not looking good for the Lakers in Game 3. The NBA has appointed Tony Brothers as chief referee, and he seems to have personal feelings for Luka Doncic.

Luka’s Worst Nightmare Tony Brothers Will Officiate Pivotal Game 3

Luka and Tony Brothers have had plenty of arguments over the years. Their history dates back to the time Doncic was wearing a Mavs jersey. Aside from Brothers, the officiating crew for Game 3 will consist of Mark Lindsay as the referee and Gediminias Petratis as the umpire. But Brothers will be the crew chief for the pivotal showdown. Will he eject Luka again? We will have to wait and see. But Lakers fans are not happy with this decision by the league.

Luka Doncic’s History With Tony Brothers

Just a few weeks ago, Tony Brothers ejected Luka Doncic for talking to a fan. It was one of the most bizarre technical fouls in recent history. After the game, Brothers explained Luka’s first and second technical fouls. For the first technical, he said, “He directed profanity at a game official.” As for the second, Brothers explained, “He looked directly at an official and used vulgar language.”

That was not the first time Luka and Brothers had gotten into each other’s faces. During last year’s Conference Semifinals, Luka told the Oklahoma City Thunder coach, “They want a Game 7 for you guys.” It was a clear indication of Luka commenting after Tony made a few foul calls against the Mavericks. Going further back, during the 2021-22 regular season, it was Brothers who gave Luka his 16th technical for the season. As a result, Luka missed the season finale in 2022.

The Importance of Game 3

Teams that take a 2-1 lead win the series 80 percent of the time. But there is no denying that the trend has continued in the last several years. Game 3 is all about adjustments. After two games where teams feel each other, Game 3 is pivotal. The next one is Game 5 if the teams are tied 2-2 after four games. For the Lakers, their chances of winning Game 3 are lowered by the mere fact that the main referee will be Tony Brothers.

Fans Are Already Calling a Timberwolves Win

Lakers fans are already all over social media commenting about the NBA’s decision to put Brothers as the main referee in a pivotal Game 3. Comments range from “Luka is going to get called for a foul during warmups” to “Put your parlay on the Wolves. We all know who’s winning now”.

Brothers also has a history of making controversial calls when officiating a Lakers–Timberwolves game. That was in December 2023, and Anthony Davis was still in a Lakers uniform. LeBron James was furious, pointing at the screen of what happened and hoping that the referees would reverse their call of a two-pointer to a three.

Photo credit: © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The post Luka’s Worst Nightmare Will Officiate Pivotal Game 3 appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.