Luka Doncic sounds off on Mavericks' Shai Gilgeous-Alexander problem after Game 4 collapse
Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks blew a 14-point lead in Monday's 100-96 loss in Game 4 to the OKC Thunder. Shai Gilegeous-Alexander dropped 22 of his 34 points in the second half, including 10 in the fourth quarter, staging the Thunder's improbable comeback down the stretch.
The Mavericks guarded their counterparts well for most of the game, but Doncic felt they could have tweaked things against Gilgeous-Alexander once he went off.
"Maybe at some point we've got to send a double-team, too. He's just too good. Very good. But every shot he took, he was contested," Doncic said on guarding SGA (via Mavericks' beat writer Brad Townsend).
Gilgeous-Alexander's shots were well contested, but it didn't matter much as he got to his spots at will and made them consistently. He went 14 of 27 from the floor, converting all his shots from the mid-range. SGA only had one 3-point attempt, which he missed. He didn't score at the rim, either. The MVP runner-up added six points from the free throw line.
While both teams' defenses have stepped up, the Thunder seemingly have done a better job of containing the primary scorers. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving were again held to low scores, as the former tallied 17 points while the latter had nine. They shot a combined 10 of 31. OKC's coverages are far more aggressive, depriving the Mavericks' star backcourt of getting high-percentage looks from inside the arc.
Luka Doncic endures another underwhelming effort after missing potential game-tying free throws
Luka Doncic is having a forgettable NBA playoffs run. The five-time NBA All-Star has produced 26.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists but shot only 40.0%, including 26.0% from 3 and 77.3% from the free throw line. Doncic averaged 34/9/10 in the regular season, shooting on 49/38/79 splits for comparison.
His rough 17-point night in Game 4 ended with him missing a potential game-tying free throw after he missed the first attempt and made the second, while the Mavs were down two with 10 seconds left.
Injuries have limited the All-Star guard, but Doncic's playoff run has been underwhelming since the beginning. He has played through injuries before, so it's not a first for him to battle adversity to manage an efficient outing. His issues have stemmed from his jumpers, most of which have been ill-advised.
Luka Doncic hasn't been playing downhill much. Some of his decisions have been casual mistakes used to seeing him make, especially in the playoffs. He's also drawn flak for being too caught up with the officiating and complaining to the refs over every call.