Kyrie Irving is encouraging his teammates to stay calm after the Mavericks 96-100 loss to the OKC Thunder in Game 4, a game where the Mavericks blew a 14-point lead of what was looking to be a blowout win.
“Don’t panic, and just stay poised. It’s not time to have irrational emotions towards a game like tonight, you know what I mean? We know how we played. We’re honest with each other, and we had the game pretty much in our hands and control, and then down the stretch… we just didn’t make enough of the clutch plays.”
Irving also accepted accountability for not leading the team individually but credited the team for playing well overall but failing to finish the job.
“As one of the leaders of the team, it’s definitely part of my responsibility to take my accountability, my responsibility for what I did, and how I can improve moving forward. But in terms of how our team played, I feel like we played well enough to get the W tonight and the majority of the game… But we just didn’t finish the job, and the little things matter: free throws, offensive rebounds, and those 50-50 basketballs… we saw what that looked like when they beat us in OKC.”
Kyrie’s positivity after losses has helped the Mavericks stay composed after big losses. The Mavericks haven’t lost two games in a row in the postseason so far, with the Boston Celtics the only other team that can claim the same. The Mavs know how to bounce back from a tough loss and need to do that in Game 5.
Kyrie was one of the reasons behind Dallas’ fourth-quarter meltdown in Game 4, scoring just nine points on nine shots, an unacceptably low volume for the team’s second star. He’s spoken about needing to get his scoring going earlier in games and the Mavs will need that in Game 5, especially if Luka Doncic continues to be hobbled.
Luka Doncic Is Confident The Mavericks Can Pick Up Another Road Win
Luka Doncic spoke to the media after Game 4 and maintained that the team is focused on moving on to the next game instead of dwelling on the loss.
“No concerns. Just got to be ready. We’ve got to play hard like we did tonight, I think we played hard. Big energy today. But like I said, some details cost us the game. We just got to be ready again. Obviously, it’s going to be hard on the road but we’ve done it before and we’ll do it again.”
Doncic had a disappointing night himself, putting up 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Even with the triple-double, it was clear Doncic was hurting Dallas’ offense at times with careless turnovers and poor shot selection. The offensive wizard was among the Mavs’ best defenders in Game 4, but his lack of scoring touch sunk Dallas.
Doncic also missed a game-tying free throw at the end of the game which could have sent the game to OT. He’ll be upset at how he’s performed throughout this series, averaging 22.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.8 assists while dealing with a knee and an ankle injury.
Without Doncic’s production, the Mavericks don’t stand a chance to pull this series win off. Considering Luka and Kyrie combined for just 27 points in Game 4, it’s a wonder that the Mavs didn’t lose by more.
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