Dallas Mavs Temperature Check: Luka Doncic Optimistic After Loss, Predicts Big Turnaround

The Dallas Mavericks have been in a rut lately, but superstar Luka Doncic believes things are about to take a turn for the better.
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Although the Dallas Mavericks are riding a two-game losing streak and have lost six of their last nine matchups, there is no lack of optimism from superstar Luka Doncic as his team enters an easier part of the schedule with three days of rest.

Going into Saturday night's matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Mavs were playing on a second night of a back-to-back without Doncic's co-star Kyrie Irving, Sixth Man of the Year candidate Tim Hardaway Jr. and fourth-year guard Josh Green. Despite being down by 24 points in the fourth quarter, Doncic led a furious comeback, including a league record 30-0 run to take the lead late, but the Mavs ran out of gas and lost to the Thunder 126-120.

"I’m so sad we didn’t win this game, but we gave a big effort. This team today was impressive in the 3rd and 4th quarter. We just got to play like this more times and we’re going to win a lot of games," said Doncic, who finished with 36 points, 15 rebounds and 18 assists, tying Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird for ninth on the NBA's all-time triple-double list.

“That was insane. Like I said, we played with great energy. We had guys out [and] it was a tough game, but we came back and almost won it. Like I said, I’m really sad we couldn't win it but it was a great, great effort.”

Doncic has good reason for his optimism, as the Mavs will now play three consecutive opponents with losing records after getting three days of rest before hitting the court again. If Irving, Hardaway and Green can all get healthy, there's a good chance that Dallas can tack on some more wins to its 11-8 record. As tight as the Western Conference standings are, every early win will matter down the stretch of this season.

Luka Doncic tied Larry Bird for ninth on the NBA's all-time triple-double list.
Luka Doncic tied Larry Bird for ninth on the NBA's all-time triple-double list / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

On today's episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, we recap the Mavs' near-miracle comeback over the Thunder, with both the good and that bad to come from it. We cover Doncic and Dereck Lively II's historic nights at length, as well as give a look ahead to what the Mavs have coming up.

Also, if Dallas is a .500 basketball team by the end of this year, how much blame will be on coaching, and how much blame will be on the players? Given that the Mavs have been a .500 team after 30 games in Jason Kidd's first two years as head coach, it would be discouraging for it to happen for a third consecutive year after the front office went out and made several roster upgrades over the offseason.

You can watch this latest episode above or listen to it below. Be sure to subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts! You can also leave us a review on Apple Podcasts for a chance to win future giveaways.

Mavs Dereck Lively II Puts Up Massive NBA History-Making Stats in Loss to Thunder


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Dalton Trigg
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.