The Dallas Mavericks looked like the more dominant side after taking a 14-point lead in Game 4 of the semifinal playoff series against Oklahoma City Thunder. Still, the latter turned the tables, proving why exactly they were receiving praise from many for their performance.
Although the Mavs started well showing off their offensive skills in the first half, the Thunder soon took over control in the second half when the Dallas side’s offense appeared to be struggling. During the post-game presser, Mavs guard Luka Doncic pointed out the reason for their scoring struggle.
“I think there’s a focus on us… They collapse the paint very well. When we drive it, they’ll collapse the paint almost 5 guys. I think that’s been difficult for us,” said the 25-year-old. He further added, “We just gotta work on our free throws. We shot 52 percent, that’s unacceptable.”
Doncic could only turn 6 of his 20 attempts from the floor into baskets, 2-of-9 threes, and 4-of-6 free throws, while his closest teammate, Kyrie Irving, had shot 4/11 from the floor and a free throw. However, as the Slovenian guard mentioned, the OKC defense was focused on him and Irving, so, it allowed P.J. Washington to display his shooting talent and ended with 7 shots from the field and 5 threes.
On the flip side, both players created a lot of chances as Irving dished out 9 assists, whereas Doncic finished with a triple-double, 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, coupled with two steals and a block. Despite the 96-100 loss on Monday, after the thorough diagnosis of their game, Doncic didn’t seem to be so concerned.
Luka Doncic Not Concerned About Loss to Thunder
Luka Doncic, who maintains an average of 26.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in the playoffs, is not concerned with their current loss that tied the series by 2-2.
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When asked about the loss in the press conference, the 5-time All-Star said, “No concern. We just gotta be ready. We gotta play hard like we did, I think we played really hard. Big energy today but some details cost us the game, we just gotta be ready again. Obviously it’s going to be hard on the road but we done it before we can do it again”
Doncic is confident that they will take the positives from the loss and move forward to the upcoming game on Wednesday at the Paycom Center where they have to deal with a tough Oklahoma crowd though they have done it before.
