Luka Doncic faces scathing criticism from Wolves podcaster over bloody knee - “Not a grinder”

Luka Doncic has been carrying his team in the NBA playoffs, capturing success with the Dallas Mavericks before helping the LA Lakers in their first-round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves this year. While carrying the load for his teams, Doncic is often seen with blood stains on his knees.

Judd Zulgad of the "Flagrant Howls" podcast, a Timberwolves-centric show, noticed the bloodstains once more as they appeared in their first-round series. He criticized Doncic for letting his knee be bloodied to make it look like he is working hard.

“He wants to look like he’s a grinder. If anyone’s not a grinder, it’s him,” he said. “What if he wants to look like he is a grinder?”

“Oh, I hit the floor so much that my knees are perpetually bleeding,” he said while mocking Doncic.

Doncic’s blood has been apparent in numerous playoff instances, such as in the Mavericks’ series last year against the OKC Thunder, their Western Conference finals clash against the Timberwolves, and their NBA Finals appearance against the Boston Celtics.

The blood returned Tuesday in the Lakers’ win against the Timberwolves in Game 2. LA tied the series 1–1 as it shifts to Minnesota. In that game, Doncic led the Lakers with 31 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.

Despite the bloody knee, there was no indication that Doncic was hampered by injury, as he has also played through it.

Until now, there has been no official explanation for Doncic’s knees. However, it is believed that those instances were just a bad case of a floor burn, a normal part of a basketball game.

Luka Doncic braces for heated return to Minnesota for Game 3

Luka Doncic was key in eliminating the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference finals last year en route to the championship series against the eventual NBA champions, the Boston Celtics. In Game 3, he will return to Minnesota, now as a Laker, to snag back the homecourt advantage.

After their Game 2 win, Doncic expressed his excitement in playing in front of the rowdy Minnesota fans as he braced for a heated affair.

“It’s gonna be hype. I remember that, they have amazing fans and they’re gonna be very loud from the first moment. At some point they’re gonna make a run, but we gotta stay together. It’s us against the whole arena, so it’s gonna be very tough. I experienced that and it wasn’t easy. We gotta stay together no matter what,” he said.

The Timberwolves are known for their passionate fans in Minnesota, which was on display in their past playoff appearances.

But with Doncic on the fray, the Lakers are seen to be geared up for the challenge.