Luka Doncic‘s 29 points over the Houston Rockets weren’t enough to push the Dallas Mavericks to a win as they suffered a 108-102 loss on Thursday. After the game, the All-Star guard took the blame for their loss as he demanded more from himself.
Doncic had a decent night scoring the basketball, shooting over 45% from the field and over 40% from beyond the arc. What was odd about the Slovenian star’s performance was his subpar performance on the other areas on the floor. The 6-foot-7 player only had five points and two assists.
Doncic tried to do more during the game and scored 15 points in the final quarter. The Mavs star was aggressive offensively and shot 6-for-8 from the field, including a 3-for-4 outing from downtown. Despite doing everything he could, Dallas still lost and dropped to 3-2.
Following the game, Doncic spoke to the reporters and took the blame for their recent loss.
“That’s me. I’m just starting pretty tough, pretty bad. So I’ll take the blame because I got to do way better than that,” Doncic said. “I know I can do it, so [I’m] trying to focus on my game.”
Mavs guard Luka Doncic immediately took the blame for tonight’s slow start against the Rockets.
“That’s me. I’m just starting pretty tough, pretty bad. So I’ll take the blame because I got to do way better than that.” pic.twitter.com/uNtO0Gwdt7
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) November 1, 2024
Doncic had help from Kyrie Irving, who had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while shooting 83% from deep. Their third option, Klay Thompson, had a rough shooting night against the Rockets. Thompson only had 12 points and shot 22% from beyond the arc.
The Mavs look to bounce back on Sunday against the Orlando Magic.
Luka Doncic is starting to get back into his groove this season
The Mavs star hasn’t had the best start to his season. He’s gradually picked up the pace after missing the preseason games due to a calf contusion. Luka Doncic has had decent games, but there have been contests where he came up short.
After their recent loss, Doncic spoke to reporters who asked if he knew the reason behind his slow start.
“If I knew I probably wouldn’t have started this slow. I didn’t have preseason, so I’m just trying to get back into my rhythm,” Doncic said.
But Doncic assured during the interview that he’s slowly picking up the pace. During his 15-point fourth quarter, Dallas’ franchise star said he felt like himself.
“In the fourth quarter, I felt a little bit like myself. That’s always a good thing. But obviously, we did not win, it wasn’t good enough. I’m just trying to play my game.”
Luka Doncic on what has led to his slow start:
“If I knew I probably wouldn’t have started this slow. I didn’t have preseason, so I’m just trying to get back into my rhythm.”
Says he “felt a little bit like myself” in the fourth quarter, and he is “just trying to play my game.” pic.twitter.com/pZgNnyc4Js
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) November 1, 2024
One reason behind his slow start could be the fatigue from his extended playoff run last season. The Mavs made it to the 2024 Finals, which added more games and pressure to Doncic’s body. Another reason could be his participation with the Slovenian national basketball team during the summer.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
