The Dallas Mavericks lost their playoffs opener against the Utah Jazz on Saturday, falling 99-93 in the absence of Luka Doncic. It was a rather heartbreaking defeat considering the small margin, and Spencer Dinwiddie couldn't help but blame himself.

After all, Dinwiddie missed six of his 16 free throws–a number that could have them closer to the Jazz in the contest. He finished with 22 points on top of four rebounds and eight assists, but in the end, they failed to get the job done.

“We had a chance to win the game and we didn’t do it,” Dinwiddie said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Despite the defeat and his rather poor performance, though, Spencer Dinwiddie saw some silver-lining in the game. They were able to compete with the Jazz throughout and even looked like a better team at times, particularly in the first quarter.

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For the Mavs guard, that is an encouraging sign since they need to show they can win without Luka Doncic.

The Slovenian superstar is still day-to-day with the calf strain he sustained in the final game of the regular season, so it is still unknown if he'll be able to suit up in Game 2. If not, at least the Mavs have something to build upon from their performance in the opener of their series.

Hopefully, though, Luka returns sooner rather than later. If Dallas can keep up with Utah even in the absence of Doncic, imagine what they can do if he's on the floor heading the offense.