Luka Dončić Expresses Frustration Amid Recent Skid
In the midst of another losing streak, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić expressed his frustration to the media Friday.
“I think you can see it with me on the court,” Dončić said, referencing his frustration, after the Mavericks’ 117-109 loss to the lowly Charlotte Hornets.
“Sometimes I don’t feel it’s me. I’m just being out there. I used to have really fun, smiling on the court, but it’s just been so frustrating for a lot of reasons, not just basketball.”
Dončić’s frustration was evident here. Dallas were 16-point favorites against Charlotte, resulting in the largest upset in the NBA this season (in reference to the point spread).
Their loss dropped them to the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference, officially on the outside-looking-in of the play-in tournament. They are tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder at 36-38, but do not hold the head-to-head tiebreaker, having lost two of their three meetings against Oklahoma City this season.
The Mavericks have struggled all month, going 4-7 in the month of March and have just won five of their last 17 games.
Well, what about Kyrie Irving? He was brought in to solve all the Mavericks’ problems. Doncic and Irving have only played 10 games together, going 3-7 in the games where both have played. Overall, Dallas is 7-12 since they acquired Irving.
“We got to fight hard, play harder,” Dončić said. “That’s about it. We got to show we care and it starts with me first. I’ve just got to lead this team, being better, playing harder. It’s on me.”
Dončić doesn’t deserve to take the brunt of the loss. It certainly wasn’t his fault, he had 34 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. But this is what leaders do. You have to take responsibility for the loss if you’re Dončić because you can’t blame anyone else. He did have five turnovers, so maybe that’s what he means.
One thing Dončić, Irving and head coach Jason Kidd all admitted was a lack of energy. I think this quote from Irving tells a good story:
“We’re a very poised group on days where I feel like we put in the best effort, and then on days where kind of the energy falters or we don’t start off well or the offense isn’t going or people aren’t making shots, there could be some emotional pulling in other directions that can dictate the outcome of games,” Irving said after the game.
Kidd even called the effort “dogsh*t”. You can find blame for anyone on the roster, and you can point fingers about energy, effort or even caring about the game. One thing is clear: If the Dallas Mavericks keep losing down the stretch, they’re not even going to make the play-in. That would be a massive disappointment for a roster as strong as the Mavericks’.
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