After three quarters, the Dallas Mavericks had an 86-75 lead over the Brooklyn Nets(17-7) and were in control. However, things fell apart for Dallas in the fourth. The Mavericks went cold in the final period. They shot 19% from the floor, including 1/12 from downtown, and after Tim Hardaway’s three went off the iron at the buzzer, Dallas would fall to the Nets 102-99 at American Airlines Center.
Dallas would end the game shooting (9/46)19.6% from three-point range.
“I saw the same thing you saw – they weren’t going in,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said after the game. “You shoot 46(threes) of them, and you only make nine; that puts you in a tough situation, but our defense again gave us the opportunity. You talk about [Kevin] Durant, [James] Harden – they’re going to make plays, they’re going to make shots. We had a lot of wide-open looks there in the fourth quarter that just didn’t go down. And at the very end, Timmy [Hardaway Jr.] had a wide-open look that, you couldn’t ask for a better look to tie up the game.”
With the loss, Dallas(11-12) has lost eight of 10 and fell below .500 for the first time this season.
Luka Doncic, who led the Mavericks with 28 points, six rebounds, and nine assists, thinks the team needs to stay together to get through the tough times.
“Just stick together. You have 82 games, and we are only about 22 games in. That is a lot of games. We have a lot of things to learn and a lot of things to work on.”
During the game, Doncic was heavily criticized by Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, who was on the call for TNT last night. According to Miller, Doncic needs to get in better shape.
After the game, Doncic responded to the criticism.
“People are going to talk about it, yes or no,” Doncic said. “I know I’ve got to do better.
“I had a long summer. I had the Olympics, took three weeks off, and I relaxed a little bit. Maybe too much. I’ve just got to get back on track.”
Kidd added on Doncic’s conditioning: “When I got here, this is who he is. That’s all I can really say. This is how I’ve seen Luka [Dončić]. For them to bring that out, maybe they’ve seen him in a different light. That’s all I can really say about that. Different players put on muscle or try to thin out or whatever it may be. You’ll have to ask him that.”
Doncic struggled with his conditioning last season, so this is not new. He’s listed at 6-7, 230 pounds, but some believe he’s bigger than that. Regardless, at age 22, Doncic probably needs to be in better shape.
Notes:
-The Mavs had six players in double figures as Kristaps Porzingis came away with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists tonight. Dorian Finney-Smith added 15 points, six rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
-Kevin Durant led the Nets in scoring with 24 points – with 16 of those points coming in the second half. Durant added seven rebounds and three assists; James Harden had 23 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists for Brooklyn.
-Dallas heads to Memphis to battle the Grizzlies Wednesday night.
