WATCH: Luka Doncic Called ‘Whiner’ on Live Broadcast of Lakers vs Hornets

Charlotte Hornets announcer slams Luka Doncic for his incessant complaining during a disappointing encounter at home.

WATCH: Luka Doncic Called ‘Whiner’ on Live Broadcast of Lakers vs Hornets

Luka Doncic (Image by FirstSportz)

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It appears that the Los Angeles Lakers led by Luka Doncic have hit a bit of a roadblock halfway into the 2025-26 campaign. After a shocking loss to lowly ranked Sacramento Kings on January 12, the Lakers suffered another disappointing 135-117 loss to a struggling Charlotte Hornets at the Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night.

It was the Lakers’ fourth loss in five games and their eighth loss in 19 games at home, highlighting their struggles on home court this season. The loss dropped the ‘Purple and Gold’ to 24-15 as they remain at fifth place in the Western Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Hornets propelled to 15-26 and sit at 12th in the Eastern Conference standings, just two games behind 11th place Milwaukee Bucks.

After a strong start in the first quarter where they ran off to a 39-30 lead, the Lakers completely switched off in the second quarter and found themselves down by nine at halftime. They were some signs of life in offense but it was their lack of defense which continues to be their Achilles heel, especially against younger teams.

Poor defense remains one of the main reasons why the Lakers are not viewed as championship contenders this season despite their strong start to the campaign. All five of Lakers starters recorded double digit points, but their bench were outscored by the Hornets bench by 27-9.

Luka Doncic is the focal point of this team and put in an impressive shift once again just as he did against the Kings earlier this week, but to no avail. The Lakers guard scored a game-high 39 points to go along with three rebounds and four assists. Doncic leads the league in scoring with 33.6 points per game.

Early in the third quarter, Doncic got whistled for a technical foul. As he continued to complain to the referee, Hornets announcer Eric Collins let the world know about his unfiltered opinion on the Slovenian star, “This guy is a whiner.”

This is not the first time that Doncic has been criticized for his incessant complaining to the referees. It is something that remains an issue for the 26-year-old for a while now and he does not look like he will stop anytime soon.

Fans react to Eric Collins’ live comment on Luka Doncic’s whining

Fans have started calling out on players for their constant flopping and complaining to the referees today. With many growing frustrated of such antics, Eric Collins’ statement did resonate with some fans on the internet while some were not pleased with it.

The Slovenian superstar always conversing with the officials during the games remain a frustrating experience for the fans. This could be why some fans online supported the commentator’s harsh description of Doncic.

Another team with a hot shooting night against the Lakers and Luka Doncic

The Lakers were playing their third game in four nights so fatigue may have played a role in their lack of energy on Thursday. But they have been on the receiving end against teams that have gotten hot in terms of shooting.

Lakers' have struggled since LeBron James returned
Lakers’ have struggled (Image via Bleacher Report/X)

Against the Lakers, the Hornets shot 54.3% from the field, and made 20 three-pointers on 46.5% efficiency. Lamelo Ball was at his best and recorded 30 points, six rebounds and 11 assists and shot an impressive 9 threes in 17 attempts under 29 minutes.

Lakers guard and former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart spoke about the Hornets’ dominant performances

When you play for the Lakers you always are the hunted no matter what. We’re always gonna get everybody’s best game and we just gotta figure out how to keep that under control. It’s not easy but we gotta be able to do it.

Marcus Smart told after the game

The Lakers travel to Portland next to take on the Portland Trail Blazers who have been on a good run lately. Any more slip ups could bring them down the ladder and the Lakers will attempt to do everything possible to get a top seed before the Playoffs.

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