The Toronto Raptors were dealt a major blow in their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Their rookie, Collin Murray-Boyles, has been sensational since entering the starting lineup. Sadly, he had to exit tonight’s contest after aggravating a prevalent thumb injury. Luka Doncic snapped at his thumb while trying to get a steal. But fans feel there was some hostility in his actions.

Notably, the number 9 pick in the 2025 draft was having a sensational. He made a difference in the game at both ends, scoring 11 points while also getting five assists and three blocks. He played through the game against the Miami Heat before Christmas with a thumb injury, wearing a splint as a result.

Nevertheless, the brace’s sole function is to stabilize the thumb. It cannot take an outside hit. The same sequence of events occurred when the 20-year-old went up against Luka Doncic. The Lakers’ guard executed a forceful maneuver targeting his injured thumb. Collin Murray-Boyles was in a lot of pain after the ball went out.

The Raptors’ rookie briefly went to the bench to get it checked before being escorted to the locker room. Shortly after, the team announced their rookie wouldn’t be returning. The X-rays came up negative, diagnosing the 6’7” forward with a thumb contusion. He could be out for multiple weeks or months, depending on the severity of the sprain.

The Raptors struggled to contain the Lakers since his exit. They were outscored 23-39 by the Lakers, who claimed a convincing win. But fans are after Luka Doncic. They feel he had some ill intentions when trying to strip the ball away from Murray-Boyles.

NBA fans turn on Luka Doncic for ‘dirty play.’

Luka Doncic isn’t known for being a dirty player. Rather, he’s taken punishment from agitators, that’s led to some injury troubles in the past. Still, some fans are convinced he knowingly went after the Raptors rookie’s thumb. “Didn’t get any bit of ball. All thumb,” a fan wrote in reaction.

Some labelled the play as “dirty”, also believing it possibly came out of frustration. Each of Collin Murray-Boyles’ three blocks came against Luka Doncic. So fans felt the Slovenian vented out his frustration at the rookie by making a hard play at the ball.

In response to the play, a fan went right after Doncic. “Luka got blocked by CMB 3 f—–g times and had to f—–g hurt him,” they wrote. What made matters worse is that referees didn’t call it a foul. That led to fans believing officials show bias towards superstars such as Luka Doncic.

“Wtf is that ref looking at like r u blind,” a fan protested. In real time, it appeared to be a clean play by Doncic. But when slowed down, it does show contact on the thumb, more so the ball. Normally, a slight hit on the thumb isn’t considered to be a foul, as it makes up for part of the basketball.

But in this case, fans clearly felt there was an intention to target Collin Murray-Boyles’ already injured thumb. “Slapping down on the hand with the opportunity to break their hand, it should not be part of the ball should be a defensive foul!” one fan argued. It’s bound to be a polarizing topic, considering Doncic had already accumulated three fouls before the incident.

Did you think it was a dirty play or an unfortunate consequence? Let us know your views in the comments below.