Luka Doncic couldn’t control his emotions during the Mavericks’ Game 1 loss to the Clippers. After making a tough pass to Maxi Kleber under the basket, Kleber fumbled and turned the ball over, causing Doncic to admonish his veteran big man as the hopes of a comeback waned in the third quarter.
Luka has given up on Kleber https://t.co/ciuQcoLThr
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) April 21, 2024
The Mavericks scored 30 points in the first half of this game, putting up just eight points in the second quarter. They doomed themselves to a 26-point deficit heading into the second half but looked far more competitive in the third quarter.
The turnover by Kleber killed the hopes of a comeback in the third quarter, courtesy of Kyrie Irving going off for 20 points in the period. This upset Doncic and his reaction is questionable, but Kleber and Luka have a strong relationship that shouldn’t be affected by this.
Doncic and Kleber have been teammates since Luka joined the team in 2018, but this wasn’t the best look for Doncic. Yes, he cares about winning and wants the best effort from his teammates, but admonishing him like this during a comeback isn’t the best message to send. Luka had his fair share of failings tonight as well, especially in the first half.
Luka did improve in the second half and ended the game with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. Kleber played 27 minutes off the bench and put up three points, three rebounds, and three assists. The box score stats are deceiving, as Kleber played well enough to stay on the floor, unlike Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively, who were both outplayed by Ivica Zubac.
Luka Doncic Took Accountability For His Slow Start
Doncic is a ruthless competitor, which sometimes leads to him yelling at his teammates when they make a mistake. However, everyone in the Mavericks locker room has seen this happen over the years. Doncic is chasing wins and his teammates understand the mission. He’s quick to criticize himself when the Mavs play poorly, which he did after this loss as well.
“I just gotta stay aggressive. That was my bad in the first half, wasn’t aggressive enough so I just gotta stay aggressive and find the open man.”
Doncic started the game well with 11 points in the first quarter, but he disappeared in the second, putting up 0 points on five missed shots as the Mavericks scored just eight points. But the team had a noticeable turnaround in the second half, outscoring the Clippers by 14 points through the final two quarters.
Doncic credited the team’s defense for the turnaround and made it clear that everyone needs to play like that over the 48 minutes of a game and not just the final 24.
“We were more physical on defense. That’s about it. … [How we played in] the second half, that is how we should play the whole game so we got to learn from that.”
Luka can’t afford to lose a third series to the Clippers, so this loss should motivate him and his teammates to come out swinging in Game 2. As long as they steal one game on the road, they could rebalance the series in their favor, especially with Kawhi Leonard’s current absence.
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