The Los Angeles Lakers needed just one stop in the dying seconds of regulation to seal a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. But then, Luka Doncic happened.
The Mavs star hit a stepback triple to knot the game at 101 and force overtime:
In overtime, Doncic pulled off virtually the same move at the top of the key, sinking yet another triple to force yet another overtime and eventually the 119-115 win.
If Lakers fans were wondering why they didn't force the ball out of Luka Doncic's hands and try to make his Mavs teammates beat them, they're not alone. The man himself was “surprised” LA stuck to their guns after getting burned not once, but twice.
“I was a little bit surprised,” Doncic said of not being double-teamed with the game on the line. “I don't know why they didn't. I thought they were going to foul, honestly, but I tried to get it up before they could foul.”
The knock on the Mavs' roster construction is the fact that their offense often starts and ends with Luka and what sort of magic he can conjure up with the basketball. Sending double teams his way is definitely a risk given that he can just as easily burn you with his passing ability, but it seems like less of a risk letting a role player take crucial shots over a proven clutch player in Doncic.
The Lakers had plenty of opportunities to come away with the win on Thursday. Correcting just one defensive lapse would have been the difference.