Mavs news: Luka Doncic gets brutally honest on 1 Dallas problem

Luka Doncic knows the Mavs have one problem: they can't seem to win against non-playoff teams or those with losing records.

The Dallas Mavericks are one of the best teams in the NBA this 2021-22 season. They have the fifth-best record in the NBA, establishing themselves as legitimate title contenders. However, Luka Doncic knows they have one problem: they can't seem to win against non-playoff teams or those with losing records.

So when the Mavs were able to repel the Pistons in convincing fashion, Doncic couldn't help but be satisfied with the result. He knows it's a big problem for Dallas, so it is definitely satisfying to see them learn from their mistakes and not allow their opponents to, well, punk them.

“We’re known to not win these games [against worse teams] … but we got a win, so that’s what we came here for,” Doncic said, per Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News.

Luka Doncic was a big reason for that win, producing a near triple-double of 26 points, eight rebounds and 14 assists to lead the Mavs to a 131-113 blowout of the Pistons. Of course it didn't start that way as Detroit ended the first half ahead at 34-32, but Dallas has certainly learned from the past and made sure to not let the lead get any bigger.

At halftime, Luka and co. were already ahead by seven points and they didn't look back since then.

One can understand Luka's statement, though. They really play bad against non-playoff teams. The latest proof of that? They lost to the Washington Wizards by 32 points last week, only to beat the Milwaukee Bucks two days later.

And who could forget about that horrible 107-77 loss to the New York Knicks earlier in March?

The Mavs just seem to play with little motivation against losing teams, which has bitten them back every time. Against the Pistons, fortunately, they didn't let that happen and made sure they bounced back after a rather slow start.

For Dallas to make a deep playoff run and contend for the 2021-22 NBA title, however, they will need to stop that bad habit and play consistently. They simply cannot afford to start slowly and fall behind in games early since the postseason is a different beast. After back-to-back first round exits, Luka and the franchise should know better.