DALLAS — Luka Doncic blamed himself for the Dallas Mavericks getting on a plane to Minneapolis instead of starting their break before the NBA Finals.
“I think the game is on me,” Danzik said after the Mavs fell short of a sweep of the Western Conference semifinals in a 105-100 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Tuesday’s Game 4. “I didn’t give enough energy. .”
Doncic posted his sixth triple-double of the playoffs with 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. However, he had a poor shooting performance (7-for-21 from the floor) and matched Mavs forward PJ Washington for the worst plus-minus of the night (minus-13).
Dallas co-star Kyrie Irving also had his worst offensive performance of the series, which Dallas leads 3-1, scoring 16 points on 6-of-18 shooting with four turnovers. Irving took the blame for the Mavs’ five-game winning streak, citing his lethargy for setting the wrong tone, especially in the first quarter.
“He’s not alone in this,” Irving said. “I would expect him to say something like that, especially with how much he cares, how much he wants to win, how much he wants to lead our team. So I expect nothing less. I think you heard me, too. That’s what you need to hear from the leaders of your team.
The Timberwolves replaced Dallas’ star duo with primary defensive duties. Jaden McDaniels, who had Danzig in charge for the first three games of the series, chased Irving in Game 4. Anthony Edwards guarded Donczyk after spending most of the first three games on Irving.
It was the first time this season that both Doncic and Irving shot worse than 35% from the floor.
“It’s not on them, it’s on us as a team,” Mavs forward Derrick Jones Jr. said. “We’re a unit, we go out there, we play together, we win together, we lose together, it’s not about one person, they’re the leaders of the team, the leader of that snake, but we’ve been their back through thick and thin.”
Doncic, who was 5-for-15 from the floor when Edwards was his primary defender, did not directly answer a question about the impact of having the Minnesota superstar guard him. Doncic instead blamed himself for the loss, though he later called Edwards (29 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists) a “fantastic player.”
Irving McDaniels, a second-team all-defensive selection, prevented him from getting into a good rhythm.
“He’s making a big impact,” Irving said. “I mean, he’s a 6-9 wing defender that I’m seeing from the start of the game now for the first time. So it’s going to be an adjustment, but I love it. I love these kinds of opportunities.”
The loss was the first blemish on Irving’s career record. He is now 14-1 to eliminate an opponent, ending the longest individual hitting streak in NBA history.
“It’s a new place,” Irving said. “So now we just have to deal with this, deal with this loss and get ready for Minnesota and enjoy that crowd there, man, because it’s going to be hostile.”
