Since returning from an ankle injury, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has noticeably been playing fewer minutes.
Doncic still leads his team with the most playing time at 32.3 minutes per game. However, head coach Rick Carlisle has employed a new tactic. Carlisle often takes his superstar out much earlier that he did at the beginning of the season.
After the Mavs dismantled the Brooklyn Nets 123-111 on Thursday, Carlisle explained why he subbed Doncic early. He was indeed trying to alleviate some load off his superstar to help him stay fresh in the fourth quarter.
Carlisle says subbing out Doncic early in the first and third quarters is because Doncic has been playing too many minutes and “it’s compromised him late in games.” Cited Doncic’s strong finish tonight.
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) January 3, 2020
Stats wise, Doncic has not missed a beat since returning to action last month and continues to produce big time numbers on a nightly basis. He did, however, admit to feeling a bit winded down the stretch, which has affected his efficiency from the field prior to Thursday's game.
Carlisle's tactics looks to have paid dividends against Brooklyn, as Doncic came away with 31 points, 13 boards, and seven dimes, while looking fresh in the closing minutes of the fourth.
The 20-year-old Slovenian scored 15 points in the final period, helping the Mavs pull away after a back-and-forth affair in the first three quarters. Overall, Doncic shot 9-of-18 from the field (50 percent) and knocked in five of his eight treys (62.5 percent).
Dallas, meanwhile, has gone 3-2 since Luka's return and is still primed to return to the postseason this year. The team is tied with the Utah Jazz for 5th and 6th place with a 22-12 record, and are just a few games behind the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets in the West.
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