DALLAS – Luka Doncic, who is in the middle of the Dallas Mavericks ’most prolific goal-scoring run, couldn’t have asked for a better look with the game on the line Sunday night.
And you couldn’t believe he didn’t make it, grabbing his temples with both hands and staring at the beams of the American Airlines Center after his three-pointed pointer opened from the left wing came out with less than five seconds to seal a 121-. 118 defeats against the Portland Trail Blazers.
“It doesn’t matter if I have confidence or not. The shot came out,” said Doncic, who had 44 points on the 14-of-20 shot and nine assists in the loss. “Obviously he disappointed me. I thought he was inside, and he came in and out, so he disappointed me. I’m on my own. I should have fired the shot.”
So it’s not long since recently. His 90 points over the weekend (he scored a high of 46 in the win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday) is the most important in a two-game period in franchise history. He shot 62% from the ground in the pair of games, including 5 of 8 from 3 points in both competitions.
The Trail Blazers didn’t want to let the Mavs try to make a shot at possession, let alone give Doncic a good look, as Portland planned to make a foul to send Dallas to the free throw line. However, Doncic came out free after receiving a screen from Kristaps Porzingis and got an undisputed shot that would have tied the score.
“If I had that shot nine more times, I think I would make nine in a row,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “I mean, he was in and out. And this is the guy we want to catch. I thought he was looking fantastic, so we’re disappointed.”
Dallas rose to a twelve-point deficit in the fourth quarter, tying the score at 49.5 seconds when Dorian Finney-Smith made a 3 on a Doncic feed. But Portland superstar Damian Lillard gave the Blazers the ultimate lead in the next possession, adding to his extensive collection of clutch cubes with a 3-step lead over Finney-Smith.
“He sat in his position as if he had good possession on defense,” said Lillard, who had 34 points and 11 assists. “It’s what is expected of the defenders in this league, but I realized they weren’t going to double down and I was like, ‘It’s going to be one on one.’ I had the shot I wanted. I looked clean. In my mind, I was wondering, ‘Okay, if that’s what it will be, I’m fine with that’ ”.
Finney-Smith was left alone at Lillard at the top of the arc because Dallas didn’t execute the game plan. The Mavs coaches called for a double team, according to Carlisle, who wanted to get the ball out of Lillard’s hands.
“Communication didn’t come,” Carlisle said. “He hit a hard shot, but it’s a shot he does regularly.”
No one in the NBA gets more shots in these situations than Lillard. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, this was his 33rd career basket in the last minute of a game, including the playoffs, most of the league since Lillard was released in 2012. .
Lillard also leads the league this season with 65 clutch time points, which are defined as the last five minutes of regulation or overtime when the score is within five points, shooting 58% from the ground in these situations. Sunday had seven of Portland’s nine clutch points.
“He’s done it for a long time,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said. “Many times, the most important thing is to get the ball to him. That’s what great players do. They make those plays and he’s obviously a great player.”