Matas Buzelis was asked about talking trash to Luka Dončić and said Dončić initiated the offensive and inappropriate trash talk. Fast forward nine days and Goga Bitadze claims the same thing— Luka Dončić was the aggressor— and now Dončić is acting like a victim to get his suspension rescinded.
Source: https://streamable.com/ozkxl1
Matas Buzelis: “I’d rather not say what I said. But [Luka Dončić] said something to me first. So that’s why I had to respond. And I mean, I’m not gonna say what he said either. But I just felt like I responded to what he said.”
Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48275615/lakers-appeal-nix-luka-doncic-16th-technical-foul
Bitadze, in a phone interview with ESPN and the Orlando Sentinel, said Doncic cursed at him in Serbian first and Bitadze merely repeated the same curse back to him.
“I have all the respect for Luka and what he has done,” Bitadze said. “And I really respect everybody’s family. Where I come from, it’s really sacred and we really respect each other’s families and I would never directly say that. He just said some inappropriate things in the Serbian language, which, I played in Serbia, I understand.
“I don’t know if he knew I understood what he said. So, I just said it back. And it was nothing towards his family or anybody. His family, I really, truly respect them.”
When asked to clarify what barbs were volleyed between the two, Bitadze said: “He said something about my mother, which, it’s really inappropriate. We don’t say that stuff during the game. … So I just said whatever he told me or [about] my mother [and] said it back.”
Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48275615/lakers-appeal-nix-luka-doncic-16th-technical-foul
“I’m definitely hoping [it is rescinded],” Doncic said after the game. “Obviously, I let my team down getting that last tech. But honestly, I wasn’t trying to. [Bitadze] said at the free throw, he would f— my whole family. And at some point, this is a basketball court. At some point, I just can’t stand it. I got to stand up for myself. But I know I got to do better.
“My teammates, I know they have my back, so I let them down today. But hopefully, it gets rescinded.”
In the Lakers’ appeal, a team source told ESPN, L.A. asked that the league review the incident late in the third quarter and expressed that the officials should have issued a warning before the techs.
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What are the chances that both Matas Buzelis and Goga Bitadze are lying?