"Look at this foul baiting fraud" — NBA fans ridicule Luka Doncic for end-of-game 4-point play in Game 4 loss

The Dallas Mavericks failed to complete a sweep against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Luka Doncic has been in the spotlight for not getting the job done. As basketball fans go to social media to air their opinions, the Slovenian star is being accused of foul-baiting his opponents during the NBA Western Conference Finals.

In modern basketball, natural scorers have become creative in attempting to get fouls from their opponents. From Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and James Harden — foul-baiting has been an issue and a barbershop topic of whether or not it is good for the game.

A video posted by @FeelLikeDrew shows a replay from "ChokeCityClips" showing Luka Doncic foul-baiting. After a fake in attempting a three-pointer, Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns jumped forward to disrupt the shot, but Doncic leaned his body forward to get the foul.

"Look at this foul baiting fraud Luka," captions DREW.

Mulitpile comments and opinions are on the clip, and some even said that this would be different if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had done it.

"If it was Shai, the entire twitter would be up in flames but it's Luka it doesn't go viral," said KlawWrld.

"He's worse than Shai honestly a sick brand of basketball he plays," @FeelLikeAnt said.

Many are wondering if this is still legal in the NBA, as the "James Harden" rule was implemented before to prevent offensive players doing actions like these.

"Didn't they outlaw jumping into defenders?" asks Cinnabon Clark.

Some see this as a violation in NBA basketball and that the referee near the play, Scott Foster, should be penalized for not making the call.

"Scott Foster should be banned from refereeing," said @tsunamiXay.

Another fan compares the play and sees that this is much worse than the "Reggie Miller" rule where you cannot kick a player while taking a shot.

"lol this is worse than kicking your leg out," posts kasimek$pls.

Of course, since this is the internet, some would think otherwise and side with Luka Doncic on the play.

"Doesn’t matter. If Luka made a jump shot he still would have landed on KATs big huge leg. Foul," Dr. Frisco Haze comments.

"That on towns for falling for the pump fake lmaoooo maybe he should not fall for that knowing Luka is known for that nice try tho," replies Heatsation.

Luka Doncic performance during Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves

The Boston Celtics have punched their way into the NBA Finals, and they are waiting for the winner between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves. Owning a 3-0 lead, many are already marrying a Mavs-Celtics finals, but Luka Doncic and his squad will now have three more chances to seal the deal after a failed sweep in Game 4.

While some may point to the 25-year-old's misses in the fourth period, he has been giving it all for his team as well. In Game 4, Luka Doncic tallied 28 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and one steal. He also made 33% of his 21 shots and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line.

Game 5 between the Mavs and Timberwolves will happen at the Target Center in Minneapolis on June 1, 2024, starting at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time.