DALLAS – Luka Doncic, who is in the midst of the most prolific goal streak in the history of the Dallas Mavericks, could not have asked for a better view with the game in play on Sunday night.
And he couldn’t believe he failed, holding his temples with both hands and looking at the American Airlines Center beams after his wide-open left 3-point wing came out with five seconds left to seal a 121- 118 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m confident or not. The kick came out,” said Doncic, who made 44 points from 14 of 20 shots and nine assists in defeat. “Obviously, I was disappointed. I thought I was in, and went in and out, so I was disappointed. This is my fault. I should have made the shot.”
Doncic has not failed much lately. His 90 points over the weekend – he had a career record of 46 on Friday in the win over the New Orleans Pelicans – are the most in a two-game period in the franchise’s history. He hit 62% of the ground in the pair of games, including 5 out of 8 in the 3-point range in both disputes.
The Trail Blazers did not want to let the Mavs try to shoot the ball, let alone get a good look at Doncic, as Portland planned a foul to send Dallas to the free throw line. However, Doncic came free after receiving a canvas from Kristaps Porzingis and gave an undisputed shot that would have tied the score.
“If he had that shot nine more times, I think he would do nine in a row,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle. “I mean, he was going in and out. And this is the guy we want to get. I thought he looked great, so we’re disappointed.”
Dallas recovered from a twelve point disadvantage in the fourth period, leveling the score 49.5 seconds from the end, when Dorian Finney-Smith hit a 3 on Doncic’s play. But Portland superstar Damian Lillard gave the Blazers the advantage for their next possession, adding to their extensive collection of clutch buckets by hitting a step 3 over Finney-Smith.
“He sat as if he had a good ball in defense,” said Lillard, who had 34 points and 11 assists. “It is what you expect from defenders in this league, but I realized that they would not double, and I thought, ‘It will be one against one’. I got the photo I wanted. I got a clean look. In my mind, I was like, ‘Alright, if that’s what it’s going to be, I’m fine with it.’ “
Finney-Smith was left alone in Lillard at the top of the arc because Dallas did not execute the game plan. The Mavs’ coaches asked for a pair, according to Carlisle, wanting to get the ball out of Lillard’s hands.
“The communication didn’t get there,” said Carlisle. “He landed a difficult shot, but it is a shot he makes regularly.”
No one in the NBA hits more shots in these situations than Lillard. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, this was the 33rd basket of his career in the final minute of a game, including the playoffs, the biggest in the league since Lillard was called up in 2012.
Lillard also leads the league this season with 65 points in clutch time, which is defined as the final five minutes of regulation or overtime when the score is within five points, throwing 58% of the ground in these situations. He had seven of Portland’s nine clutch points on Sunday.
“He’s been doing this for a long time,” said Portland coach Terry Stotts. “Often, the most important thing is simply to give him the ball. That’s what great players do. They make these plays and, obviously, he is a great player.”