Mavs-Celtics Reactions: Breaking Down the Luka Doncic vs. Jayson Tatum Debate
The Dallas Mavericks faced a tough task on Friday night by taking on the league-leading Boston Celtics on the road in what was their third game in four nights. Despite putting up a tough fight for three quarters, the Mavs couldn't hang with the Celtics' hot 3-point shooting and ultimately lost in blowout fashion, 138-110.
Although the Mavs lost the game, it wasn't for any lack of effort from superstar Luka Doncic, who finished with a 37-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist triple-double while shooting 14-25 from the field in 37 minutes. Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who has joined Doncic in the MVP top-five nearly all season, finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and three assists while shooting 10-19 from the field.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Each team's fan bases routinely get into heated debates on whether Doncic or Tatum is the better player, but the Mavs' star isn't concerned with any of that. Doncic says he and Tatum have a lot of mutual respect for one another, regardless of the comparisons they receive.
"He's a great guy," Doncic said of Tatum. "We both have a lot of respect for each other, which is amazing. ... I don't know [about the MVP talk]. I think that's for the media. They have the votes, so I don't know."
On the latest episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, we break down Dallas' loss to Boston, why there were actually more positives than negatives to take going forward, and what head coach Jason Kidd must do with his rotations to avoid more hiccups ahead of the postseason. We also dive into the Doncic vs. Tatum "debate" that really isn't much of a debate at all when you compare all of their career numbers and accolades.
You can watch today's show below, and be sure to SUBSCRIBE, as well as leave your takes in the comments on YouTube:
