Dallas Mavericks Head Coach Left Disappointed Following Their Unexpected Loss to The Phoenix Suns

After a disappointing loss against the Houston Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks have followed it up with another. Despite amazing individual performances from stars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks fell short to the Phoenix Suns. The Mavs started well but lost the plot in the second half and ended up losing 115-117.

In the post-game interview, coach Rick Carlisle looked dejected. He said, “We did a few good things in the fourth to get right there again. But you don’t win when you play as poorly as we did in the third. It just leaves too many things to chance. It’s unfortunate because the other three quarters were quite good. We could have defended a little better in the second. First-quarter was one of our best in two games. Disappointing.”

Dallas Mavericks need a killer instinct

Against the Rockets, the Mavericks gave away a seven-point lead with just 40 seconds left. They didn’t have a lead in the fourth against the Suns but had a 13 point lead at half time. This dwindled away as the Suns pummeled them 36 to 19 in the third quarter. The fourth quarter wasn’t too impressive either as the Mavs couldn’t get out of the hole they dug themselves in.

Doncic and Porzingis will be annoyed, wondering what more they need to do to ensure a win for the team. Doncic finished with a monstrous stat line of 40 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists. Porzingis put on a show as well, scoring 30 points and getting four blocks as well. But this was not enough.

The Mavericks were heavily let down by Tim Hardaway Jr who finished with 1/12 from the field. With him going 0/8 from downtown, the Mavs final play was questionable, to say the least. Down by 2 with just three seconds left, they drew up a three-point play for Hardaway despite his struggles throughout the game. And as expected, he missed the potential game-winner as the Mavericks slumped to a loss. With this loss, they are now 2-10 in games decided by 3 points or less, which is the most in the league.

They now face fellow strugglers Sacramento Kings in their next game on Tuesday. If this poor run continues, they will face an inevitable first-round matchup against the second seed Los Angeles Clippers.

Sources:

Brad Townsend on Twitter

Tim MacMahon on Twitter

Mavericks vs Suns