The Dallas Mavericks rallied from a 31-point deficit during Sunday’s Game 4 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, thanks to the phenomenal play of star point guard Kyrie Irving, but Luka Doncic said he needed to do more.
The Mavericks and Clippers are now even in the series, but Dallas certainly had a shot to come all the way back to take the win on Sunday.
While Doncic finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, he shot poorly, going 10-of-24 from the floor and 1-of-8 from 3-point range, a far cry from Irving’s 40-point performance to fuel Dallas’ comeback.
“I just got to help him more,” Doncic said, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I feel like I’m letting him down, so I got to be there. I got to help him more. He’s given everything that he has, and he’s been amazing for us the whole series.”
Irving is certainly doing his part in the series, averaging 28.8 points while shooting 51.3% from the floor and 48.5% from 3-point range while Doncic is averaging 29.0 points and has struggled to find his touch against the Clippers, shooting 38.6% from the floor and 26.5% from 3-point range against the Clippers.
Doncic is also dealing with stiffness and soreness in his right knee since injuring it during Game 3 on Friday, which has impacted his ability to move laterally and create separation off the dribble, clearly affecting his stepback jumper.
“It’s hurting obviously, but it shouldn’t be an excuse, man,” Doncic said of his knee. “Just came out and a little sloppy, so I got to be way better than that.”
“He wants to play well and knowing he wants to make a bigger impact, even though he’s almost averaging triple-double for the series, but we’re always critical of him and I think he’s always critical of himself,” Irving said. “So there’s a young kid in the playoffs going against a team that beat him twice, so there’s a little bit of a mental fatigue there as well. But I think this is what makes the beauty of sports come together.
“We have another opportunity on Wednesday to be in L.A. and be better. So hopefully these next two days will be good to him — well, I know they’ll be good to him — and we’ll be ready for Wednesday’s game.”
