Luka Doncic expresses frustration at missing late-stepback 3 against Sacramento Kings: "Should have gave it back to Kai"
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving finally played their first game together. Unfortunately for the Dallas Mavericks, they ended up losing it in overtime against the Sacramento Kings.
The Mavs had a chance to tie the game with 14 seconds left in overtime. However, Doncic pulled up from 3-point range with his iconic stepback, but he missed. The Kings grabbed a rebound and ended up winning the game 133-128.
Doncic believes that he should have let Irving take the shot at the end.
“It’s my bad," the Mavericks guard admitted. "Should have gave it back to Kai [Irving]. For me, it’s still a learning process. But for sure, I should have gave it back. He was really hot down the stretch, so that was on me for sure.”
While both Doncic and Irving had a great game, their ultimate goal was to beat the Kings.
Luka Doncic admits he should have given the ball to Kyrie Irving
Doncic is the second-best scorer in the league with 33.3 points per game. He's been incredible so far in the 2022-23 season and has had several astonishing 40-point games.
While the 6-foot-7 guard is a fantastic scorer, he is not exactly an expert when it comes to knocking down 3-point shots. Luka Doncic has converted 35.0% of long-range shots this season, which is slightly lower than the league's average of 35.9%.
Luka Doncic on late stepback he missed with Mavs down 3: “It’s my bad. Should have gave it back to Kai. For me, it’s still a learning process. But for sure, I should have gave it back. He was really hot down the stretch, so that was on me for sure.”
The four-time All-Star is an exceptional clutch player, which is why it's not surprising that he took a potential game-tying shot against the Kings. However, he believes that he should have passed the ball to his new teammate.
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With just under 25 seconds left in overtime, Kyrie Irving made a huge 3-pointer to cut the Kings' lead to one point. Doncic was aware of this, but as he said, it's all just a learning process for him and there is no doubt he will improve.
Doncic and Irving were both great against the Kings
Before his stepback 3-point attempt, Doncic was only 2-for-8 from long range on the night, while Irving was 4-for-10. However, both of them had great performances and did all they could to try to get a victory.
Luka Doncic finished the game with 27 points on 11-for-20 shooting. He also added nine rebounds and five assists to his stat line and the Dallas Mavericks were +2 with him on the floor.
Kyrie Irving also had a great all-around performance. The former NBA champion scored 28 points on 11-for-21 shooting, while also adding seven rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a block to the box score.
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Irving and Doncic will have an opportunity to get their first victory together on Monday night when the Mavericks host the Minnesota Timberwolves.