Mavs Star Luka Doncic Admits He Let Down Mavericks In Pivotal Game 3
Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks haven't put up much of a fight against the Boston Celtics.
This year's NBA FInals series has been all Boston heading into Game 4, 106-99, with the C's now boasting a 3-0 advantage.
Before falling in Game 3, the Mavericks' supporting cast around Luka seemingly fell short of supporting their superstar. But on Wednesday night it was Luka who let the team down.
With four minutes left in the fourth quarter, facing a three-point deficit as the Mavericks surged on a 22-4 run, Doncic fouled out of the game after attempting to draw a charge against Boston's Jaylen Brown.
DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic reacts to a foul call in the first quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals at American Airlines Center on June 12. The Mavs trail the Boston Celtics, 3-0, in the series. (Chris Torres/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
DALLAS - Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks speaks at a press conference after the game against the Boston Celtics during Game Three of the 2024 NBA Finals on June 12 at the American Airlines Center. (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
Doncic's immediate reaction to his sixth foul was a terrible look, yelling at his bench to ‘challenge' the clear foul. The foul also showed a lack of self-awareness by Luka, a careless player who needlessly threw his body at Brown. When his team needed him most, Doncic was stuck on the bench.
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Speaking with ESPN's Malika Andrews on Thursday, Doncic admitted that his mistakes on Wednesday cost the Mavericks big in their ‘do-or die' matchup.
"Yeah, of course [I let them down]," Doncic said, reflecting on the loss. "[Fouling out] wasn’t the smartest thing to do, especially in this situation. It’s the finals, you’ve got to give everything."
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Doncic wasn't very efficient on the court. He scored 27 points on 11 of 27 shooting and shot 1-of-7 from three-point range.
After the game, ESPN's Brian Windhorst went viral after grilling Doncic's performance in Game 3.
Mavericks fans eagerly waited to watch Doncic take the next step in this Finals series as a top-3 player in the league. After defeating Western Conference juggernauts like the Clippers, Thunder and Timberwolves, expectations were high for Luka and Dallas. After three games, the prevailing narrative around Luka focuses on the Serbian player's tendency to complain about officiating.
Boston faced extremely limited competition in the East, en route to the Finals, but they've been playing their best basketball in the right series. Without premier big man Kristaps Porzingis available for Game 3 due to a left leg injury, Boston appeared vulnerable for a Game 3 loss. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum showed up for the C's, tallying 61 points combined. Three-and-D specialist Derrick White added 16 points for the Celtics.
Dallas is in danger of becoming the first team since the 2018 LeBron James-led Cavaliers to be swept in the Finals.
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