OKLAHOMA CITY – The best advice Luka Dončić could get after Tuesday’s loss would be something along the lines that momma said there would be days like this.
The Mavericks’ superstar had a rare game in which virtually nothing went right. The Oklahoma City Thunder ran two or more defenders at him almost every time Luka got the ball in his sweet spots.
The results weren’t pretty. Dončić finished with 16 points, shot 5-of-15 from the field and had six turnovers. He did contribute 11 rebounds and five assists, but it was a rough way to see the Mavericks’ seven-game winning streak end.
“There’s a reason they’re the No. 1 defensive team in the league,” Dončić said. “They have great defensive players. They decided to double me every time. Give credit to them. They played really good defense today.”
It was a first half to forget for Dončić, who was named the NBA’s player of the week when the Mavericks went 3-0 last week. He was 1-of-7 from the field before halftime.
“I wasn’t playing great in the first half and we were still only down three,” he said. “We were getting good shots. It’s probably one of the worst halves I’ve ever played. I can’t start like that. I got to help my team more.”
The way the Thunder played Dončić shouldn’t be a surprise. They did a lot of double-teaming in the playoff series last spring.
But they have added another key defensive player in Alex Caruso to go along with Lu Dort and Jalen Williams.
“They double-teamed Luka. It’s nothing new, we’ve seen that a lot when we play Oklahoma City,” coach Jason Kidd said. “For us, the others have to be able to make the plays and we just weren’t able to or knock down the open shots on a consistent basis.”
The yin to this yang was that OKC’s MVP candidate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rolled up 39 points and consistently snuffed any rally the Mavericks attempted.
“Shai was locked in tonight,” Naji Marshall said. “He hit some tough shots. That’s just how it is sometimes. He’s a great player and that’s what he does. Tough shots can take the life out of a defense sometimes. But that’s what Shai does to a lot of people. He did his thing.”
Said Luka of Gilgeous-Alexander: “He’s a great scorer. He gets his teammates involved. A lot of times, it’s hard to stop him. I think at some point, you got to send two or three players. It’s amazing to play against a guy like this, the battles. It’s fun.”
Although not as fun on nights like Tuesday as it was in the playoffs last season.
Moving on: The Mavericks are out of the in-season tournament and will move along with the regular season on Sunday, either at Golden State or with a home game against Houston, depending on who wins the Warriors-Rockets game Wednesday in Houston.
For Dončić, he was disappointed not to make it to Las Vegas for the semifinals and finals of the event.
“We wanted to go, obviously,” he said. “I like playing this tournament I think it’s a great idea for the NBA. I use to play it in Spain and it was fun. Now that it’s over, next game.”
He said he looks forward to a better finish next year.
X: @ESefko