Mavs Film Room: Doncic Looks To Build On Playoff Debut in Game 5

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic returned in the Game 4 loss at Utah and filled the stat sheet.

After being sidelined for 13 days due to a left calf strain, Luka Doncic made his return the Dallas Mavericks' 100-99 loss at the Utah Jazz in Game 4. He finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes. 

"I'm just excited to be back," Doncic said. "I had fun out there, just having fun playing basketball. What could be better than in the playoffs? The playoffs are the most exciting, so I'm just glad to be back."

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

There was a clear effort from the Mavericks to be cautious with Doncic's return timetable. He was upgraded to questionable before Game 3, but ultimately was ruled out. 

A potential minutes restriction was discussed for Doncic ahead of Game 4, but that didn't materialize. The main deviation from the regular approach to his minutes was coming out midway through the first quarter instead of playing the entire period. 

"At the beginning, I was just thinking about it a little bit," Doncic said. "I think in the middle of the game I kind of forgot about it."

Doncic, who led the NBA in first-quarter scoring this season, came out of the gate looking to be aggressive and he made a major imprint on the game. A combined 88.8 percent of his scoring possessions came featuring the use of a ball screen (48.1 percent) or isolation (40.7 percent).

There were a few post-up attempts and handoffs, but again, Doncic immediately stepped back into the fold orchestrating the half-court offense — resulting in a 37.0 percent usage rate. When it came down to the fourth quarter, his usage climbed to 40.9 percent. 

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

"I mean, he's Luka," Jazz center Rudy Gobert said. "He doesn't need to go fast to impact the game, and he impacted the game a lot, especially down the stretch. He made some big plays. That's why he is who he is."

The Jazz looked to engage Doncic aggressively throughout the game, often having the on-ball defender pick him up full-court. The two-man game with Dwight Powell in ball-screening situations created plenty of opportunities for Doncic to get into the gap and make a play with Gobert having to stay attached to Powell on the roll. 

Doncic exhibited the flare he tends to bring come playoff time on one ball-screen possession, in particular. He used a snake dribble to get into the gap with Bojan Bogdanovic aggressively going over the screen to set up a step-back 3. These are the types of big shots players like Jalen Brunson or Spencer Dinwiddie showed an inability to convert in ball-screen situations earlier in the series. 

The step-back 3 overall was a bit of a mixed bag at times. Doncic settled for a tightly contested, deep attempt that didn't fall when being guarded by Bogdanovic early. He missed a few throughout the game as well, but regardless, he's going to get this type of look off when he wants against Bogdanovic.

What mattered most with the step-back 3 was when the game slowed down, Doncic was ready to convert. He foreshadowed his late-game heroics by converting on a step-back 3 as the first half was approaching its end.

There was a clear effort from the Jazz to not switch 1-4 in the earlier portions of the game when Doncic used a screen from a wing. This prevented Doncic from aggressively hunting a weaker on-ball defender like Jordan Clarkson or undersized guard like Mike Conley. 

At times, the Jazz were aggressive looking to show and recover to bring Bogdanovic (or another wing) as the on-ball defender to avoid making the switch. It disrupted the flow of a few possessions with a fair amount of the shot clock wasted on attempting to draw an outcome that didn't occur.

Doncic used the spacing created by using Reggie Bullock as a screener to attack his matchup on one possession. The Mavericks could look to use more guard screeners or ghost screens to clear out a wing for Doncic to break down his man off the dribble. This was also key in the clutch-time turnaround jumper against Bogdanovic that will be highlighted later, too. 

The Jazz did give up the switch when Doncic set a ball screen for Brunson early in the game, creating a driving opportunity against Conley. Gobert attempted to balance making his presence felt in help and being in a position to break up a potential pass from Doncic to Powell. The result was a comfortable lane for Doncic to attack.

The Mavs found success when using the flex-dribble handoff play with Doncic to begin halves or when they want to punish a traditional big out in space. The result a couple of times was connecting with Powell on a lob pass with Gobert having to respect Doncic. 

These sequences could be utilized more in Game 5, as they were in the regular-season matchups against the Jazz. It takes the action directly to Gobert to have to pick his poison with the on-ball defender aggressively going over, choosing between giving up the floater or the lob pass. 

The Jazz were vulnerable when the Mavericks used a handoff after an offensive rebound with Powell pitching it to Doncic. Gobert stayed in a drop while the on-ball defender felt his best chance of making an impact was to go under, leaving space for the quick-trigger 3. 

Another potential crack in the Jazz defense is their approach to guarding re-screen sequences in the two-man game with Powell and Doncic. If the Mavericks fully space out the rest of the unit, their shooters are going to get closely guarded on most possessions, applying a lot of pressure on the big defender and low-man. 

With the re-screen, Gobert tends to step up closer to the guard to engage the ball handler closer, opening up the lob pass to the rim roller. The weak-side floor spacer can "shake up" the wing to prevent the tag defender from disrupting the lob. If a more assertive tag is made, the pass to the shooter is there. 

The Mavericks showed a flash of using multiple ball screeners to make Jazz perimeter players have to be involved in the action. There was a disjointed feel to the possession with Gobert dropping deep, and in the chaos, Doncic's deception as a passer can lead to an open shot if he doesn't look to attack the gap for his own look. 

Doncic turned to his isolation scoring ability to keep the Mavericks in a position to win in clutch time. He embraced the Gobert matchup when the Jazz stayed with the switch, getting to the free throw on one play while converting on a step-back 3 on another. He also knocked down a turnaround jumper against Bogdanovic. Again. Doncic took over, showing he's back full throttle.

The Jazz showed they are not going to allow weaker on-ball defenders to be switched onto Doncic, but are comfortable in clutch time with Gobert handling that assignment. The Mavericks also got a great feel for Utah's revamped energy level of defense, picking up full-court and showing more aggression guarding the ball. 

It was quite an impressive performance for Doncic in Game 4 after having not played an actual game in almost two weeks. He was attacked on defense at times by the Jazz, but his first game back showed an impressive foundation to build on as the high-usage offensive machine he always is in the playoffs.