SI

Mavericks Star Luka Dončić Shoulders Blame for Defensive Breakdown in Loss to Jazz

Dončić took responsibility for the late-game defensive breakdown on Thursday night.

Mike McDaniel

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic shouldered blame for the late-game breakdown defensively in the loss to the Utah Jazz.
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic shouldered blame for the late-game breakdown defensively in the loss to the Utah Jazz. / Rob Gray-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Utah Jazz, 115-113, on Thursday night to drop to 5-7 on the season. Just one year removed from reaching the NBA Finals, the Mavericks have looked like a shell of the team that came within striking distance of a championship.

Thursday night's loss was particularly frustrating for the Mavericks, as a late-game defensive breakdown between guard Quentin Grimes and star Luka Doncic led to an easy go-ahead basket for John Collins.

NBA fans couldn't believe how asleep Doncic was at the switch. He shouldered the blame for the breakdown after the game.

"It was a misunderstanding," Doncic said. "I thought I was going to go hit, and Grimes thought he was going to go hit. And it was a lob, so we misunderstood the bench. That's on me,"

The Mavericks certainly need to do some soul searching in order to find the form they had a season ago.

More of the Latest Around the NBA

feed

Published
Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.

Home/NBA