The joys are usually short-lived in the Regular Phase of the NBA. If last Thursday Dallas Mavericks celebrated a victory in overtime at the home of the Lakers in style, on Saturday night the Texans lamented a resounding defeat at the hands of Portland Trail Blazers (136-119). A fall in which something unusual could be seen, such as the very low performance of Luka Doncicwhich was far from his best version, even a more earthly one than against the Californians. One more demonstration of how limited the Mavs are this season.
The Slovenian did not have the day and he did not have it practically from the beginning of the game. It all started with the free kick, the great pending issue of the former Real Madrid player, who missed his first three attempts from the line. From that moment on, either due to accumulated fatigue (mental or physical) or lack of concentration, Doncic did not quite get into the rhythm of the game necessary to fight for the victory. And this is not something new because there seems to be a directly proportional relationship between bad starts from the free kick and not very brilliant matches for the Balkan. An evil that has accompanied him forever and that in this campaign he had significantly minimized until now.
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Luka Doncic had the worst game of the season by far, both numerically and sensationally. The Slovenian finished with 15 points and a 36.8% success rate, being this his lowest mark since January 2022 against Oklahoma City Thunder. This data is striking if one takes into account that it is only the 15th time in his career where he has scored 15 points or less having played at least 30 minutes. Even more so if he compares himself to other members of his Draft class like Trae Young (30) or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (40).
Bad night for Luka Doncic π
The worst match of the season for the Slovenian:
βͺοΈ 15 points, minimum since January 2022
βͺοΈ 36.8% in field goals
βͺοΈ 1-6 in free throws
119-136 loss at Portland pic.twitter.com/KdFwSPBjf7β ππ‘π ππ©π¨π«ππ’π§π πππ°π¬ EspaΓ±a πͺπΈ (@sportingnewses) January 15, 2023
With this fall, the Mavs extend their bad moment, which translates into 4 losses in the last 6 games played, winning only some Lakers out of the Play-In in overtime and some Pelicans without Zion, McCollum and Ingram. Luka’s poor performance made it possible to once again verify the null depth of the bench that Dallas has, with Reggie Bullock (24 points) and Spencer Dinwiddie (25) being the only ones who stepped forward.
In that period of 6 games, Jason Kidd’s men have become the sixth worst attacker (109.8) and the third worst defense (119.6), which means a -9.8 of net ratingwhich serves them to be only ahead of Clippers (-10,2) y Rockets (-14,4).
With less than a month to go before the NBA trade window ends, it’s clear the Mavs need to make changes. To what end and purpose remains to be seen, but Doncic needs more help. And as soon as possible.
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
