“Terrible”: Dallas Star Luka Doncic Takes Blame for Loss Against The Clippers

The Dallas Mavericks fought till the end, but it wasn’t enough. They slumped to a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. Unsurprisingly, they were led by Luka Doncic, who looked like a lone warrior out there. Despite it being his playoff debut, he looked a veteran on the court.

With him scoring 42 points, he set the NBA record for the highest points on playoff debut. But he also had the 2nd highest turnovers in NBA playoff history.

When asked about how he felt about playing in the playoffs, Doncic said, “For me, everything is the same. Every game, that’s going to be physical with me. I should never have 11 turnovers. It’s 11 more possessions, imagine that. I think I lost this game. Gotta get way better than that”

During the post-game interview, he was just rueing the possessions he gave up and didn’t talk about the scoring record at all. When asked to comment on his performance, Doncic said, “Terrible. I had 11 turnovers. Should never have that much. I just want to win… have to do what better (about) losing the ball.”

Can Luka Doncic and the Mavericks return stronger next game?

After starting the game poorly, the Mavericks were back on track. They were leading by five points in the second half, but then Kristaps Porzingis was unfairly ejected. With that, the Mavericks lost their best defender, and they could not stop the Clippers’ offense. But Luka never gave up and fought till the end.

He made 13/21 shots and also made 14/15 free throws to finish with 42 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. They ended up losing by eight points after nobody except Luka could make their shot or defend the Clippers incoming barrage.

But going into game 2, the Mavericks know that the Clippers are not invincible. If Porzingis can play 35-40 minutes down the stretch, he will be able to help them potentially pull off an upset victory. The Mavs also need their other shooters to improve and stand a chance against the second seed Clippers. The Mavs will now return for revenge on August 19 and hope to stay alive in the series.