Luka Doncic is playing in his first NBA Finals but the 2023-24 NBA scoring leader is facing an 0-3 series deficit against the Boston Celtics. The Mavericks have looked outmatched with Doncic unable to repeat the heroics that won his Mavs’ previous matchups. He’s struggling in the fourth quarter especially, with his stats telling a worrying tale.
Doncic has scored a total of eight points in the fourth quarter through the first three games, shooting 3-15 from the field, which is just 20%. He’s made no three-pointers and has gone 2-4 on free throws. He has a plus-minus of +6, which shows his presence benefits the team but his lack of scoring has not allowed them to succeed in the clutch.
Luka is averaging 29.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in the Finals, with Game 3 being an objectively bad performance for him in the series as his complaining and poor defense were obstacles his team couldn’t overcome, as he fouled out of the game with four minutes left in the fourth quarter.
There are reasons behind Doncic’s struggles in the fourth. The offensive load he had carried through the first two games was immense as Kyrie Irving’s struggles meant he had no relief which led to putting up tough shots through challenging defenses.
Given the injuries he’s playing through, the last quarter seems to be when Doncic hits a physical limit of what he’s able to do.
If you’re on the court, you’re healthy, so Doncic can’t hide behind his various injuries. There is no overcoming a Finals loss, especially a sweep when you’re playing like this in the final quarter of the game. If the 25-year-old guard can’t find a second wind in the fourth quarter of Game 4, the Mavericks will get swept out of the NBA Finals.
Luka Doncic Is Searching For His First NBA Finals Win
Doncic has become the few modern NBA stars to have taken their team to the NBA Finals, but his Finals performance will sour the taste of any goodwill he built over the Playoffs. The Mavs’ inability to win a single game so far has been quite surprising, especially with how many experts started favoring the Mavericks in the Finals before Game 1.
Game 3 became entirely winnable for the Mavs after they cut a 21-point lead down to three with a 20-2 run in the fourth quarter. Doncic fouled out of the game immediately after that run, taking the air out of the Mavericks who then fell to a seven-point loss.
That was the first time in his career that Doncic fouled out of a game in the NBA Playoffs, prompting NBC Sports Celtics to mock him with a graphic pointing out his 0 NBA Finals wins.
The Mavericks will enjoy home-court advantage in Game 4 again and are coming into it with the hopes of snatching a victory and going back to Boston for Game 5. Doncic will have a heap of media battles to overcome if he gets swept in his first NBA Finals appearance, even if nobody expected the Mavs to make it this far.
All-time greats are judged on a different scale, and if Doncic wants to elevate himself to that conversation, he’ll have to live with his poor fourth-quarter performances and the possibility of being swept.
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