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DALLAS – Luka Doncic, who is in the middle of the most prolific run in Dallas Mavericks history, couldn’t have asked for a better look with the online game on Sunday night.
And he couldn’t believe he hadn’t, gripping his temples with both hands and staring at the rafters of the American Airlines Center after his left-wing 3-point wide open edged with five. seconds remaining to seal a 121,118 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
“It doesn’t matter whether I’m confident or not. The shot has been called out,” said Doncic, who had 44 points on 14 of 20 shots and nine assists in the loss. “Obviously I was disappointed. I thought it was in it, and it went in and out, so I was disappointed. It’s on me. I should have done the shot.”
Doncic hasn’t been missing much lately. His 90 points over the weekend – he had a career-high 46 on Friday in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans – are the highest in two games in franchise history. He shot 62 percent from the floor in the pair of games, including 5 of 8 3-pointers in both competitions.
The Trail Blazers didn’t want to let the Mavs attempt a possession shot at all, let alone give Doncic a good look, as Portland was planning a foul to send Dallas to the free throw line. However, Doncic went free after getting a screen from Kristaps Porzingis and landed an undisputed shot that would have tied the score.
“If he had had that shot nine more times, I think he would do nine in a row,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “I mean, it was back and forth. And that’s the guy we want to take. I thought that was a great look, so we’re disappointed.”
Dallas recovered from a twelve-point deficit in the fourth quarter, tying the score 49.5 seconds to go when Dorian Finney-Smith made a 3 on a Doncic stream. But Portland superstar Damian Lillard gave the Blazers the edge for good on the next possession, adding to his vast collection of clutch buckets by stepping back 3 on Finney-Smith.
“He sat in his position like he was going to have some good ball possession on defense,” said Lillard, who had 34 points and 11 assists. “That’s what you expect from defenders in this league, but I noticed they weren’t going to double down, and I was like, ‘It’s going to be one on one.’ I got the picture I wanted. I got a clear look. In my mind, I was like, ‘Okay, if that’s what it’s gonna be, that’s fine with me.’ “
Finney-Smith was left alone on Lillard at the top of the arc because Dallas failed to execute the game plan. Mavs coaches called for a double team, according to Carlisle, wanting to get the ball out of Lillard’s hands.
“Communication didn’t arrive,” Carlisle said. “He hit a tough shot, but it’s a shot he does consistently.”
No one in the NBA hits more shots in these situations than Lillard. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, this was his 33rd career starting basket in the last minute of a game including the playoffs, the league’s biggest since Lillard’s 2012 draft. .
Lillard also leads the league this season with 65 points in clutch time, which is defined as the last five minutes of regulation or overtime when the score is within five points, shooting 58% off the ground in those situations. He had seven of Portland’s nine clutch points on Sunday.
“He’s been doing it for a long time,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said. “A lot of times the most important thing is to give him the ball. That’s what great players do. They make these games, and he’s obviously a great player.”
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