標籤: trolled

The Los Angeles Lakers have picked up momentum over the past few weeks, returning to their Big-3 form and winning four of their last five games. While the occasional defensive lapses are still present, the Lakers’ core men certainly seem to be having fun even without LeBron James, as evidenced by Luka Doncic’s clip from the New York Knicks’ trip to Crypto.com Arena.

Doncic and company got off to a fast start and finished the first quarter 31-23, in what has proven to be a tough day for offenses since then. According to a post on X by ClutchPoints, the Slovenian drew a foul from former Dallas Mavericks teammate Jalen Brunson after driving inside, and couldn’t help but laugh immediately afterward.

Luka Doncic is laughing at his former teammate and friend Jalen Brunson after he fouled him 🤣

pic.twitter.com/6QziGXF3c4

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 8 March 2026

James missed his second consecutive game due to a left elbow injury. However, even in his absence, the Lakers looked comfortable offensively for most of the night.

Doncic had a game-high 35 points with eight rebounds and four assists. However, he was only 11-25 from the field and 5-16 from the three-point zone.

Austin Reeves had 25 points, five assists and four rebounds, while DeAndre Ayton looked more willing to be the defensive lynchpin, finishing with six points on 3-4 shooting with eight rebounds in 20 minutes. Luke Kennard provided cover off the bench, playing 27 minutes and finishing with 12 points and two rebounds.

The Lakers were only slightly better from the field than the Knicks, shooting 42.7% overall. However, they were vastly better from beyond the arc, converting 15 of their 44 three-pointers (34.1%), while the Knicks shot 8/34 from the three-point zone.

This win will help the now 38-25 Lakers keep distance from the Phoenix Suns. They are now just a half game behind the Denver Nuggets in 5th place with a 39-25 record.

For New York, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with a team-high 25 points and 16 rebounds on 8-17 from the field. Jalen Brunson followed closely with 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds on 8-19 shooting.

Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton tempted the basketball gods and karma when he reportedly complained that the team is trying to turn him into a version of lob threat/rim-runner Clint Capela. Less than 48 hours later, he had to pay a heavy price for those alleged locker-room comments. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft scored two points on 1-3 shooting with four rebounds and a steal. He was -24 on the court against the Phoenix Suns, as LA lost 113-110 at the Mortgage Matchup Center.

Royce O’Neal deserves the spotlight after hitting the game-winning 3-pointer with less than a second left on the clock, but the public is focusing most of its attention on Ayton. In the Lakers’ second consecutive disastrous loss, he disappeared against his former team and was force-fed a bigger slice of the modest pie. His performance tells the story effectively, but fans are expressing their opinions on the matter.

NBA fans flock to the Lakers’ Deandre Ayton

Chris Walder of Odds Shark posted on X, “Deandre Ayton said the Los Angeles Lakers were trying to make him Clint Capela, and in his first game after those comments, he started playing like Kwame Brown.”

For those wondering, Capela recorded four points, six rebounds, three assists and four blocks in just 17 minutes of action as the Houston Rockets defeated the Orlando Magic on the same night as Ayton’s loss.

@BeenHim16 declared, “On everything I love, if Deandre Ayton wasn’t 7 feet tall, he would literally be my DoorDash.” @jeff_on_sports commented, “The Deandre Ayton signing is going exactly like the haters said it would.” “Finally earned the #1 pick for the Suns,” @The_MilesFiles quipped. “Their best player tonight.”

Ouch. Ayton has experienced some good moments while wearing the purple and gold – totaling 21 points and 13 boards on Tuesday vs. the Magic – but his first season in L.A. has not gone as fans expected. The 27-year-old entered the Suns clash averaging 13.2 points and 8.5 rebounds in 49 games. Fans criticize him, but when at his best he can be a real difference maker.

Ayton has averaged a double-double for his career, so he should have the ability to make a consistent impact. However, Lakers and NBA fans aren’t seeing it. After this difficult run in Phoenix, the Bahamian has reached a crucial point in his Los Angeles tenure. He could allow himself to be filled with conflict and subsequent ridicule, or he could use this low point as motivation for the remainder of the campaign.

Which path will he take?

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Stephen Curry went viral with his now-famous “Night Night” celebration. Fast forward to 2026 at Milan-Cortina, and Italian speed skaters are following suit.

On Tuesday, the trio of Davide Ghiotto, Michele Malfatti and Andrea Giovannini scored an upset victory over Americans Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman and Ethan Sepura, according to NBC Sports. They won the men’s team pursuit in 3 minutes, 39.20 seconds. This was 4.5 seconds better than the Americans.

After crossing the finish line, they joined in a “Night of the Night” celebration to troll the American team.

Steph Curry celebrates ‘Night Night’ after Italy upsets Team USA for the gold medal in the men’s team pursuit in speed skating at the Winter Olympics 🥇😴

(via @NBCSports)pic.twitter.com/fi0wY9jxVl

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 17 February 2026

The Italian trio not only won the gold medal, but did so in front of their hometown crowd. Furthermore, they defeated the American team that had previously set the world record time.

“Night Night” festival started in 2022. At the time, Curry and the Warriors were playing against the Denver Nuggets in the NBA playoffs. In Game 3 of the first round, the Warriors took the lead in the fourth quarter as Curry came off the bench after suffering an injury.

After scoring a layup over Nikola Jokic, Curry celebrated “Night of the Night”.

From there, it took on a life of its own, especially after the Paris Olympics. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the moment was one of the greatest moments in basketball history. Additionally, Kerr ended her speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago with the sentiment “night’s the night.”

Additionally, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook celebrated in the same fashion during the first half of the Bills’ game against the Cleveland Browns on December 21.