One can argue that the Dallas Mavericks would’ve been better positioned to win Game 3 if Luka Doncic had not fouled out of the game down the stretch.
Luka Doncic tried to draw a charge on Jaylen Brown in semi-transition with 4:12 remaining, but the referees called a blocking foul. The Slovenian star had to leave the court because that was his sixth foul of the game.
This was the third time that Luka Doncic fouled out in his six-year NBA career and his first in 48 career playoff games, according to Ben Golliver of the Washington Post.
The Dallas Mavericks offense sputtered, as they only made one field goal since then while the Boston Celtics scored 13 more points en route to the 106-99 victory.
After the game, instead of getting sympathy from the fans, Luka Doncic was criticized for his lackluster defense throughout this series. If this keeps up, the Dallas Mavericks might get swept on Friday.
Luka Doncic is not happy with the refs after the Dallas Mavericks Game 3 defeat
Luka Doncic finished with 27 points, six rebounds, and six assists in Game 3, which would’ve been more if he hadn’t fouled out in the final period. During the postgame presser, the five-time NBA All-Star said that the players should ultimately decide the games, not the referees.
“We couldn’t play physical. I don’t know. I don’t want to say nothing. You know, six fouls in the NBA Finals, basically I’m like this (motions with palms out). C’mon, man. Better than that,” Doncic said via Tim MacMahon.
Now that the Dallas Mavericks are down 0-3, the odds are stacked against them because no team has ever successfully come back from such a deficit after 156 tries.
