The fourth playoff game between the Dallas Mavericks and LA Clippers was nothing short of a nail-biter. The Los Angeles side established their dominance in the first half, leading by 31 points, which the Mavs caught up to. However, the game ended 116-111 in favor of the Clippers, and Luka Doncic holds himself responsible for not doing enough.
While talking to the reporters in a postgame interview regarding his closest teammate Kyrie Irving, Doncic said, “I just got to help him more. I feel like I’m letting him down, so I got to be there, I got to help him more. He’s giving everything he has and he’s been amazing for us the whole series.”
The Mavs covered the 31-point deficit due to Irving’s brilliant scoring abilities. The guard scored a game-high 40 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 14/25 field goals, 6/12 3-pointers and 6 accurate free throws. However, it wasn’t enough for Dallas to secure a win at the American Airlines Center as Doncic suffered while trying to shoot.
The Slovenian guard attempted 24 shots from the floor, out of which only 10 (41.7%) hit the target, whereas from the deep he tried 9 shots but 8 of his threes stubbornly refused to reach the mark. Although he chipped in with a triple-double, 29-10-10, he looked sluggish on the defensive and a part of it was because of his injury.
Luka Doncic provides update on injury
Luka Doncic was listed as questionable before Game 4 because of his right knee soreness. Following the disappointing loss, the 25-year-old said, “It’s hurting, obviously, but that shouldn’t be an excuse.” Luka further admitted, “Just came out sloppy, so we gotta do way better than that.”
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Even though he is struggling with his knee, he doesn’t think it is reason enough to not deliver up to his usual high standards. Doncic is averaging 29 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game in the postseason tournament, but his shooting is far from impressive. He is shooting at 38.6% from the floor and 26.5% from behind the 3-point arc.
To recover from a 2-2 result in the series, Doncic has to step up his shooting skills and support Irving. The two teams will meet in Los Angeles on Wednesday for Game 5 to continue their on-court battles.
Also Read: “Real Fire”- Luka Doncic’s New Custom Car Takes the Internet by Storm After NBA Playoff Victory
