Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes the NBA coach’s challenge rule had something to do with the team’s 121-119 loss versus the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, but Luka Doncic thinks otherwise.
The 20-year-old Slovenian wonder shouldered the blame for Dallas’ first setback of the season, particularly with his decision making in the dying seconds of the close game.
“I lost that game. Bad shot selection. … They were in the bonus. I should have drove it,” he said, according to ESPN’s Tim McMahon.
With Dallas down by just a single point with 11 seconds left in the tightly-contested match, Doncic opted to go to his preferred step back three-pointer to possibly steal the win. The reigning Rookie of the Year hit a similar clutch shot in the Mavs’ last game versus the New Orleans Pelicans.
But Doncic did not get the same results this time, as he misfired on his attempt which was eventually cleared by his teammate Dorian Finney-Smith.
Portland coach Terry Stotts called for the coach’s challenge rule after Damian Lillard was initially called for a foul on Finney-Smith. The breaks of the game went in favor of Portland following the rescinded call, which ultimately cost Dallas the game.
Although Doncic is certainly not responsible for events that transpired in the last seconds, he could have opted for a higher percentage shot instead of settling for the long bomb.
Despite the miscue at the end, Doncic still came out with yet another prolific all-around performance. He finished an assist shy of a triple-double, tallying 29 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists.
Follow Us
Subscribe