Mavs Film Room: How Luka Doncic Hunted Giannis and Won
During the fourth quarter of the Dallas Mavericks' 118-112 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Luka Doncic, who has been a head-hunter all season, made it a point to draw Giannis Antetokounmpo on switches before attacking.
A key part of what makes Antetokounmpo so valuable on defense is his combination of height, length, and athleticism that enables him to be a disruptive off-ball defender, particularly as the low-man.
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
"We did a solid job. (Doncic) is just very, very talented," Antetokounmpo said. "He's a very good player. He's gonna make the right pass, he's gonna make the pass to the roller, skip pass to the corner. He's gonna make good decisions.
"Sometimes you can do everything right and people will still have good nights. He's one of the most talented players in the league, one of the most talented players probably to ever play this game."
To begin the fourth quarter, the Mavericks' bench unit struggled with Doncic on the bench. They missed all four of their shot attempts and recorded a turnover. Doncic understood that taking over the game was needed—leading the Mavericks to an 11-2 run to ultimately seal the win.
9:04 — Step Back 3 After Giannis Switch
On the first play of the run, Doncic managed to get his shot off using a step back despite Antetokounmpo aggressively engaging him to make a tight contest. Against an elite 6-foot-11 athlete with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, that's no easy feat.
Using a right-to-left crossover, Doncic got Antetokounmpo to make an ill-advised reach attempt that put him at a disadvantage for the remainder of the sequence. Even after that, Antetokounmpo's quick reaction and length forced Doncic to have to lean backward.
When a big shot like this connects, the defender may look to adjust their approach to prioritize taking it away on future possessions. Later on, Antetokounmpo did just that by choosing to load up on Doncic's left side to deter the step back.
7:57 — Doncic Draws Foul On Middleton
The next play of the Mavericks' run did not involve Doncic drawing Antetokounpmo on a switch. Instead, Doncic directed traffic to clear out space to attack Middleton in isolation. By bringing Middleton over to the wing, it opened up a cleaner lane to attack middle.
The spacing that Jalen Brunson provided from the wing proved to be important, since George Hill felt compelled to make a quick stunt before recovering to prevent a catch-and-shoot look.
Jrue Holiday was eager to help Middleton if Doncic were to drive right, so Doncic opted to attack middle to avoid him. After breaking Middleton down off the bounce, Doncic was able to get into the lane to draw a foul, and made both free throws.
7:20 — Doncic Creates Deep Kick-out to Finney-Smith
With Antetokounmpo loading up on Doncic's left to deter him from getting to the step back, Doncic took advantage by driving straight down the center of the floor going right. His ability to manipulate the help defense opened up the rest of the play.
The defender in position to provide Antetokounmpo help at the nail was Jrue Holiday, who also had to account for Brunson spacing from the wing. With Doncic using a change of pace move, Holiday had to recover from his stunt, which opened up the drive.
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
With Doncic getting by Antetokounmpo, Wesley Matthews made the decision to attempt to draw a charge at the top of the restricted area. George Hill was put in a position to have to help the helper by accounting for Dwight Powell.
After decelerating deep on the drive, Doncic was in prime position to make a deep kick-out pass to Dorian Finney-Smith in the corner. He made the Bucks pay by converting on the catch-and-shoot look.
6:55 — Doncic Deep Kick-Out to Bullock
After getting Antetokounmpo to switch deep off the 3-point line using double-drag screens, Doncic took advantage. The middle of the floor was opened up with Antetokounmpo loading on Doncic's left with movement after the screens neutralizing any early help.
As the possession played out, Reggie Bullock relocated from the baseline to the weak-side corner while Jalen Brunson was shaking up from the corner to the wing. While that movement occurred, the Bucks needed Middleton to handle guarding two-with-one.
Doncic darted a one-hand pass deep on the drive before Middleton could anticipate it in time to break it up. After the failed attempt to swipe at the pass, Pat Connaughton ran into him when attempting to close out, which left Bullock with plenty of time to shoot.
Doncic Continues to Embrace Superstar Switches
Whether it's Stephen Curry, LeBron James, or Antetokounmpo, Doncic has made it a point to force the opposing team's superstar to have to make a switch and guard him late in games. The intent is to wear them down by making them work on both ends.
"I would say like this: because the best players, they gotta work on both ends," Doncic said on The Old Man & The Three podcast. "You just have to make them work on both ends... They play the whole game, they handle the ball a lot. You just want to make them tired... When you have the best player on you, you want to score: yes or yes. So it's like pride, proud moment too."
The Mavericks held a 101-93 lead with 6:55 remaining in regulation after their 11-2 run came to a close. Dallas went from trailing by one point to establishing a situation where it just needed to maintain its lead.
