The Mavericks lost to the Clippers 111-116, and according to Clippers' Joey Linn, Doncic became a big colander on the defensive end of the game.
According to statistics, in this G4, the Clippers players shot a total of 10 of 15 shots when facing Doncic's defense. Doncic's flaws on the defensive end are once again exposed. At the decisive moment of the fourth quarter, Doncic was quite heartbroken by Harden in one step.
In fact, after the game, Doncic also blamed himself, talking about Irving's performance, Doncic said: "I feel like I let him down, I have to help him more." ”
In this game, Irving played 44 minutes and shot 14 of 25, 6 of 12 three-pointers, 6 of 6 free throws, and scored a game-high 40 points, plus 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Although Doncic had a triple-double of 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, he was 10-of-24 from the field and 1-of-9 from three-point range.
Poor defense was key to the Mavericks' loss, as they trailed by 31 points at one point. As the leader of the team, Doncic naturally needs to lead by example on the defensive end, after all, this is the playoffs.
However, coach Kidd still stood up for Doncic, saying, "Luka did everything he could. I think he's competing on both ends of the floor. He helped us take the lead in the fourth quarter. We just couldn't win the game. "It's clear that Kidd is fiercely in love with his disciples, and Doncic himself should understand what the problem is.