After the Dallas Mavericks' Game 4 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, NBA analyst Skip Bayless highlighted Luka Doncic's poor 3-point shooting while slamming the Doc Rivers-coached squad.
On Twitter, Bayless called Doncic “one of the worst” 3-point shooters in the NBA regular season. However, he was more puzzled that in a Clippers team that has Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, it was Reggie Jackson who guarded the Mavs star in the final play.
THE CLIPPERS JUST LOST TO A TERRIBLE THREE-POINT SHOOTER, LUKA DONCIC, ONE OF THE WORST IN THE NBA DURING THE REG SEASON. BUT AGAIN, WHY WAS REGGIE JACKSON EVEN IN THE GAME??? AND HOW DOES HE WIND UP "GUARDING" LUKA ON THE FINAL SHOT???
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 23, 2020
For Skip Bayless, Leonard — by any means necessary — should've been the one who guarded Doncic in the final seconds.
HOW DO YOU WIND UP WITH REGGIE JACKSON ON LUKA WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE??? WHY DO THE CLIPPERS PRIDE THEMSELVES ON SWITCHING EVERYTHING??? JUST LET KAWHI TAKE HIM AND FIGHT THROUGH PICKS. JUST ABSURD STRATEGY.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 23, 2020
For what it's worth, Luka Donic shot 31.6 percent from deep for the Mavs in the regular season. It's a slight drop from his 32.7 percent clip from his rookie year.
But then again, Doncic has proven that he's a shotmaker in the clutch. After the game, head coach Rick Carlisle admitted that he wanted the ball in Doncic's hands in the final play. He knows that whenever it's in the Slovenian's hands, there's a pretty good chance that it will be a good possession.
The Clippers, for their part, seemed to have made a lapse on the defensive end. As seen in the final play below, Leonard was already guarding Doncic before the inbound play.
However, when the Maxi Kleber screen came, Leonard didn't offer any resistance, allowing the switch. Jackson definitely did his best to stay in front of Luka. But imagine if Leonard — a two-time NBA defensive player of the year — was the one guarding him.
LUKA DONCIC WINS IT FOR THE MAVERICKS 😱pic.twitter.com/Gs684elVQu
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) August 23, 2020
With the series tied at 2-2 and the momentum on the Mavs, it would be interesting to see how the Clippers will adjust their defense with respect to Doncic. Game 5 of the NBA playoffs series between the two teams is slated on Tuesday, August 25.