The Dallas Mavericks had a bounce-back win against the Utah Jazz on Monday, 110-102. However, Luka Doncic had an underwhelming performance. Doncic played 33 minutes of action but didn’t have the high-scoring performance fans have been accustomed to him having regularly.
Doncic ended the night with 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. The superstar attempted 22 shots from the field but only made five, including a 1-for-9 showing from beyond the arc. It was an unexpected outing from the Slovenian star as he had a 40-point, 10-rebound, double-double in their loss against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.
The Mavs were dominated by Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, who each scored 23 and 18 points. After their victory, head coach Jason Kidd shared his candid comments regarding Doncic’s out-of-character performance.
“He’s human, and you saw that tonight, but he really leaned on his teammates to create plays and open looks. We’re not shooting the ball well right now; we’re getting open looks, but they’re not going down,” Kidd said. “Still, we’ve got to keep taking those shots. I thought our rhythm was better, even on makes, and we were able to play with pace. Naji and Q were really good; you can see them getting more comfortable, and giving them more minutes will only help.”
The Mavs look to capture another win tomorrow, Tuesday, against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kidd is aware of the potential inconsistency from Luka Doncic
Kidd knows Luka Doncic will have inconsistencies throughout the season, much like the one he had against Utah. Following their win, the head coach shared how the team prepares for nights when the All-Star struggles to take command of the game.
“It’s just a flow game. He’s not going to be perfect every night, so we lean on Kai, and I thought Klay had some great looks and knocked them down. We even put him in the post a couple of times,” Kidd said.
Doncic’s All-Star teammates have rallied behind him. Irving and Thompson have improved to support the team and the first option. The 2016 NBA champion is averaging 18.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the first two games of the 2024-25 season. In contrast, the former Golden State Warriors player has had a strong start to the season. In his Mavs debut, he scored 22 points and shot 6-for-10 from beyond the arc.
The European star has also developed a fun on-court chemistry with Thompson. With consistent partners, Luka Doncic doesn’t have to do everything by himself to lead the Mavs.
