Luka Doncic spent the third quarter watching the match against Atlanta Hawks, and his “pissed-off” reaction is viral now.
A 12-second clip from Tuesday night’s blowout W caught every movement of the 26-year-old, who was looking visibly frustrated on the bench. With 3:10 left in the third quarter and the Lakers up 99-79, cameras captured Doncic sitting with a towel, clearly annoyed about something nobody knows.
Doncic’s critics didn’t go easy after watching the clip, crushing Doncic hard despite his 27-point game.
Luka Doncic Was Pissed JJ Redick Made Him Stay on the Bench
The purple and gold hit a “lull in the third quarter” where Doncic and James “felt like they were in the center of” the struggles.
Even though LA controlled most of the game, their 32‑point lead quickly disappeared. Atlanta dropped a 10–0 run while the Lakers were three minutes without scoring. It’s unclear whether Doncic was upset about sitting during that stretch or frustrated with his own play.
In the video, Doncic looked upset with a towel over his head. He said something to someone nearby, then threw the towel aside and took another seat. He scored 23 of his 27 points in the first half, then faded after halftime.
Luka Doncic was pissed JJ Redick made him stay on the bench 😬 pic.twitter.com/zi12O4eUJw
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) January 14, 2026
For the unversed, he was also dealing with groin soreness after dropping 42 before the match against the Sacramento Kings. That may have led Redick to put him on the bench as the game slipped toward garbage time.
NBA Fans React to Luka Doncic’s Bench Tantrum
NBA fans didn’t feel sorry for the Slovenian star sitting upset on the bench. Instead, they criticized him on social media.
One fan wrote, “Why is this dumba– angry i mean he was awful i that stretch deserved to bench his azz.”
Another added, “This is why Mavericks traded him. He is big brat.”
A third penned, “Good thing tho he had 4b2b2b2b TOVs.”
The fourth shared, “Dude why is luka such a fucking baby? you throw a couple turnovers okay its fine just lock in. instead hes throwing a fucking tantrum on the bench.”
A fifth fan remarked, “Holy shit Luka hit the bench dude this is the worst quarter of basketball you’ve ever played.”
The criticism feels heavy given that Doncic finished with 27 points and 12 assists in a 25-point win. Still, his body language deployed a critical narrative. However, they eventually closed it out with LeBron dropping 31-10-10 and the bench emptying “at the 3:45 mark” of the fourth.
