Mavs-Celtics Reactions: Breaking Down the Luka Doncic vs. Jayson Tatum Debate

On this episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, we recap the Dallas Mavericks' blowout loss to the Boston Celtics, as well as break down the Luka Doncic vs. Jayson Tatum "debate."

Dalton Trigg | Mar 3, 2024

In this story:

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.

USATSI_19742804 — 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."

Mavs' Luka Doncic 'Really Happy' for Kristaps Porzingis' Celtics Success

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:

Published Mar 3, 2024

DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.