Luka Doncic had an impressive NBA Finals debut with a 30-point double-double, but the Slovenian star would have wanted the win instead, falling to an 89-107 loss in Game 1 to the Celtics. He spoke to the media after the game and explained how the Celtics’ strategy on defense and offense left the Mavs in a tough situation.
“They mostly play one-on-one, they don’t send a lot of help, so that’s why… Their spacing is great and they have a lot of shooters. So I think we have to do a better job taking those threes away.”
Doncic is looking ahead to Game 2 already, exuding confidence about how the team will prepare to steal a road win in their next contest.
“You lose or you win. First to four. We have to focus on the next game… Just focus on the next game. I think we really got good shots. We just didn’t make them. But we’ve got to go game by game. The Game 1 is over. We’ve got to watch film, what we did wrong, and focus only on the next one.”
Doncic led the Mavericks to a 29-9 run in the third quarter which brought them back from a nearly 30-point deficit, saying that the Mavs needed the joy and energy they had in those moments to stay the entire game.
“In those moments, we were playing our basketball. We were getting stops, we didn’t let them get offensive rebounds. We were having fun out there in those moments and that’s what we need to do more often.”
The Mavericks were ice-cold to start the game as the Celtics were shooting lights out, taking a 17-point first-quarter lead. They entered the second half trailing by 21 points, but Doncic had a red-hot third quarter where he scored 10 points and brought the Mavericks to within eight points of the lead. The Celtics quickly responded and ended the quarter with a 16-point lead, burying the Mavs.
Not much can be faulted about Doncic’s play, as he played good defense and carried the team on offense. The Celtics completely neutralized his impact as a playmaker in the contest, which is something Doncic needs to figure out with his high-IQ floor-mapping in the next game. If they stop Luka from creating for others, the Mavericks offense stands no chance.
Kyrie Irving could not positively impact the game alongside Doncic in this contest, which was one of the crucial differences as he ended the night with 12 points on 6-19 shooting.
Luka Doncic Reacts To Kristaps Porzingis NBA Finals Debut
Doncic saw his former teammate Kristaps Porzingis come off the bench for the Celtics and dominate proceeding with 20 points in 20 minutes on xxx shooting. He was also a major defensive presence, erasing three shots at the rim in the minutes he played.
Luka was asked about his former teammate’s strong performance in the win, and the 25-year-old kept it simple with his praise for Kristaps.
“Yeah, he was great for them. He was knocking down shots. He was blocking shots. So he was really, really huge for them on both ends of the floor.”
Doncic is giving credit where credit is due, but he won’t be gushing with praise about a competitor in the middle of a Finals series. Hopefully, Doncic can use these performances as further motivation to lead his team to a win.
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