Luka Doncic says he’ll pay Jaxson Hayes’ technical fine

With Deandre Ayton unavailable on Tuesday due to a right knee contusion, the Los Angeles Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes made just his second start of the season and delivered a strong performance.

Hayes posted a team-best +21 in his 30 minutes on the court and also stepped in to defend Luka Doncic during an on-court altercation with the LA Clippers guard Kris Dunn, as detailed by Dan Woike of The Athletic.

The incident began when Doncic was knocked to the floor by Dunn while the two were battling for rebounding position.

Doncic got up to confront Dunn, who responded by shoving the ball into the franchise centerpiece’s chest (Twitter video link).

Hayes immediately pushed Dunn, which triggered a brief skirmish between both teams. Dunn was ejected from the game, while Hayes received a technical foul for his involvement.

After the game, Doncic made it clear he appreciated Hayes’ support.

“I got (Hayes’ fine for the technical),” the Slovenian guard said. “I told him right away.”