Watch: Luka Doncic Smiles in Pain as 5’11 Ex-NBA Player Shatters Hearts with a Dagger on Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks fell to Real Madrid Tuesday night by a score of 127-123. Luka Doncic returns to Spain and Real Madrid amidst a standing ovation and much love from his former team and fans. Fans who were eagerly waiting to see Doncic in action were left disappointed. Due to a left calf strain, he only got 5 minutes of game time.

The halftime saw the Dallas Mavericks going strong. Three consecutive threes in the final minutes from Hardaway and Grant Williams helped Dallas take a 71-65 lead into halftime. But the luck didn’t hold out for long. The Mavs faced a block in the form of an ex-NBA player.

Luka Doncic has a bittersweet experience

The ex-Mavericks’ point guard, Facundo Campazzo broke the run of luck. At the last minute, Campazzo scored seven clutch points against the Mavs, leading Real Madrid to their third win against an NBA team. Luka Doncic’s painful smile at this anticlimactic end is surely worth watching.

Even with the loss on the Mavs side, the game was a fun one for everyone. Even Luka. He loved every minute of being back. Doncic joined the club of Real Madrid when he was 13. From there, he went on to win EuroLeague and Spanish League double in 2018. It got him the award of being the youngest MVP at the age of 19. It was from here that he moved to the NBA.

The Mavs need to up their game for a fruitful season

The preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves saw Dallas lose. And now with another loss against Real Madrid, the team should really look to work on their defense. Kyrie is already treading on thin ice with his groin injury and Luka with a calf strain is also a cause for concern.

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As mentioned above, the defense of the Mavs was something everyone looked forward to. But the Abudhabi preseason game saw the Timberwolves stealing the spotlight. After allowing 104 and 111 points in the two games against the Timberwolves, the Mavs conceded 127 on Tuesday. The Mavericks have one of the NBA’s best offensive teams in the league, with a lot of players who can score from beyond the arc.

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Yet, their 3-point shooting is nowhere near good. Against the Timberwolves on Saturday, Dallas shot just 14-for-46 from 3-point range (30.4%). Three days later, they went 16-for-46 (34.8%). For a team that will rely a lot on perimeter shooting this year, we hope they take great offense at the way they have been playing and come back stronger.