Luka Doncic Reacts to Dallas Mavs' Victory in 'Big Game' vs. Los Angeles Lakers
LOS ANGELES — The Dallas Mavericks ended a two-game losing streak using a 104-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Luka Doncic played an important role in the victory, finishing with 30 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists on the night, with some big plays in clutch time.
Despite leading by 20 points at the start of the fourth quarter, the Mavs trailed by two points with 1:16 left in regulation before Kyrie Irving converted a go-ahead 3-pointer and iced the game at the free throw line. Doncic was not surprised by the Lakers' rallying effort considering the talent on their roster.
"The Lakers are a great team," Doncic said. They have great players, so they were able to do this. We were down two [points[ there, so everybody kept together, and then we went again "
Managing to achieve a victory to avoid a three-game losing streak made the outcome "big" in Doncic's perception. He commended the level of defensive execution the team displayed through three quarters after the team produced bottom-tier results on that end to start the season.
"It's a big game," Doncic said. "We lost two in a row, so it's a big win for us. I think we were playing very, very good defense for three quarters, but we relaxed a little bit in the fourth. Again, for three quarters, we were playing great defense."
With James having an isolation touch against Irving, Doncic made a strong read in the passing lanes as the low-man to devise a pivotal steal. It occurred with about four seconds remaining in regulation, enabling Irving to extend the Mavs' lead by three points by getting him sent to the free throw line.
"I kind of didn't know if he was going to pass it or not," Doncic said. "It was a good pass, but I just read it, so I'm glad we got a stop there."
The Lakers had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer using a 3-point attempt from James, but the shot was offline. Doncic felt the shot had a great chance to fall but was glad to see it not.
"It was looking good, it was in the right direction," Doncic said. "I'm happy he didn't make it."
Despite the Mavs' offense struggling as a whole in the fourth quarter, Doncic and Irving each made important late-game plays.
On Irving's go-ahead 3-pointer from the slot, Doncic created the look by getting downhill and drawing help at the nail but avoiding turning his head until the last second before making the pass. Doncic had made the defense pay with spray-out passes to the weak-side corner all night, which created the chance to force Austin Reaves, who was guarding two-with-one, to have to make a split-second choice.
"Yeah, we can always rely on Kyrie," Doncic said. "He's a great basketball player, so we can always rely on him no matter what. "
Doncic feels there's been continued improvement in clutch situations involving him and Irving. Last season, there were moments when the two were reluctant to try to make a big play on a final shot situation since they were still acclimating to each other's tendencies.
"Yeah, of course, I think we improved it," Doncic said. "I think we honestly played great defense today. So, that got us a win."
The Mavs made Richaun Holmes the first big man to come off the bench instead of Dwight Powell. Holmes provided a strong impact and became even more critical after rookie center Dereck Lively II went down with a lower back contusion after falling hard on the floor and was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of the game.
"Amazing," Doncic said of Holmes' play. "I owe him a dinner."
Another teammate Doncic praised was Josh Green, who had struggled for much of the start of the season, but provided a season-high 15 points against the Lakers.
"He was very energetic, hitting his shots, and it was a big win for us," Doncic said.
The Mavs return to action on Saturday when they face the Clippers, completing their two-game road trip in Los Angeles.
