MY ACCOUNT
Luka Doncic banked 40 points for the Dallas Mavericks but still felt he was to blame for Wednesday’s 120-114 overtime defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The two-time NBA All-Star impressed with a further 10 assists, five rebounds and three steals, yet it was not enough to prevent the Mavericks from falling to back-to-back defeats.
The Thunder scored a quick lay-up with eight seconds remaining of regulation time to tie the contest, with Doncic missing on a 28-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Despite registering his second-highest score of the season, one short of the 41 managed against the Toronto Raptors last month, Doncic was not pleased with his overall display.
“That was just my bad. I didn’t see it coming,” said Doncic of his defense on the Thunder’s final shot in regulation.
“This game is on me… the last two possessions shouldn’t happen. By far, my worst defensive game this year for sure, and it’s just on me.”
It is the first time since Christmas that the Mavericks have lost successive games and leaves them fifth in the Western Conference, now 29-23 for the season.
Lu Dort was the hero for Oklahoma, scoring 14 straight points in overtime and 30 in total – his second 30-point game of the season, compared to one in the previous two years.
“In the biggest part of the game, he had his foot on the gas and closed it out for us,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.
The Mavericks had won their previous eight home games, but head coach Jason Kidd had no complaints about the defeat.
“They just played harder than we did,” Kidd said. “When it got tight there, we started to play better.
“We put ourselves in a position like Orlando: Someone had to make a shot – someone did. We just couldn’t get the stop on the other end.”
