The Dallas Mavericks ended up on the losing end of a close encounter against fellow Western Conference contenders in the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, 110-107.
It was a battle that went down to the wire, and in such instances, it is not surprising that crucial plays down the stretch are examined with an extremely critical eye. One particular play that has put Mavs star Luka Doncic's decision-making under the microscope transpired with less than 20 seconds left to play.
With Dallas down three points, Doncic received the ball at the top of the key after a turnover. Instead of attempting an open game-tying triple himself, he opted to swing the ball to teammate Tim Hardaway Jr., who himself happened to be wide open. Hardaway let it fly, but missed what would have been the biggest shot of the evening and effectively ended the Mavs' chances of winning:
I cannot believe that Doncic didn't take this shot! He had just hit a contested step-back three a minute earlier.
I know that LeBron received too much criticism for passing on the last shot during his career, but this legit seems like a lapse of judgment. pic.twitter.com/GWqrfe2Izn
— Cody Houdek (@codyhoudek) January 22, 2020
Following the disappointing loss, Doncic was asked about this specific play, and the 20-year-old was adamant that he made the right decision at that point in time. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle seconded this notion:
Luka Doncic had zero regrets about swinging the ball to Tim Hardaway Jr. for a potential game-tying 3 late instead of taking the shot himself: "100% right decision." Rick Carlisle agreed: "The way Tim’s shooting the ball, it’s a great play."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) January 22, 2020
All in all, though, it was another tremendous showing from Doncic, who logged a game-high 36 points (12-of-26 from the field, 9-of-14 from the line), three 3-pointers, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and two blocked shots. He would, however, share the top-scoring honors with Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who himself caught fire against Dallas (36 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, two blocks) and had a highlight-reel play on Doncic to boot.
Doncic absolutely held his own in a duel against the reigning Finals MVP, and it was indeed an enjoyable matchup to witness for all NBA fans.
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