Getty Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
This season hasn’t gone according to plan for the Dallas Mavericks. They have struggled to meet the expectations set for them after making the Western Conference Finals last year, and they now find themselves stuck in the middle of a tightly-packed playoff race in the West.
They need to win every game they can, but on Friday night, they faltered. Dallas lost to the short-handed Charlotte Hornets in an ugly defeat, and after the game Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic spoke about the disappointing year they’ve had.
“This season hasn’t been what we thought it was going to be. But we still got time to make up [for it],” Doncic said via the Fanatics View YouTube channel.
As things stand, the Mavericks sit at 36-38 on the season and are in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Things aren’t looking good for them as they head into the final stretch of the regular season.
In addition to the topic of the Mavericks’ season, Doncic also noted that he’s having less fun out there on the court this year.
“It’s really frustrating,” Doncic said. “I think you can see it with me on the court. Sometimes, I don’t feel it’s me. Just being out there. I used to have [a lot of] fun. Smiling on the court. But it’s just been so frustrating. For a lot of reasons, not just basketball.”
If Doncic grows frustrated with Dallas, there’s always a chance that he decides he wants to move on to another destination. That would be the worst-case scenario for the Mavericks.
Despite the loss, Doncic put up some monster numbers against the Hornets. He ended the night with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists on 12-of-23 shooting from the field and 2-of-9 shooting from behind the three-point line.
Jason Kid Sounds Off on Mavericks
Doncic wasn’t the only person frustrated after the Mavericks’ loss to the Hornets. Head coach Jason Kidd unleashed a furious rant, sounding off on his team for their performance.
“That was awful. Dog****,” Kidd said via Sports Illustrated’s Grant Afseth. “Just understanding the talk before the game of what we’re playing for, playoffs or championship, and to come out, you know, in that first half, but more or less the first quarter and give up 37, the interest level wasn’t high, you know? You know, disappointing… When you look at our two guys, I think they were 3-of-17 from the three. (We) got great looks, they just didn’t go down.”
Stephen Curry Shows Love to Luka Doncic
In other news, after the Mavericks’ recent loss to the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry showed love to Doncic.
“I mean, for the most part, we put him on the free throw line too much in the first half. But Luka is interesting,” Curry said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “He’s going to get his numbers because he’s good, first and foremost, but they have a team formed around him that gives him a lot of space, and he’s great at picking and choosing his spots. Whether he’s looking for a shot or putting pressure on you in the paint to kick out to shooters. They made 17 threes off of a lot of his gravity, so you got to live with some of that stuff, and you got to live with him having big numbers because, again, he’s that great, and he has a lot of opportunity.”