DALLAS — All-Star guard Luka Doncic has stated that he would not consider being sat out for the remainder of the season as long as the Dallas Mavericks have postseason hopes, no matter how long the odds.
“I’ll play tomorrow,” Doncic said after practice Tuesday. “As long as there’s still a chance, I’ll play. So that won’t happen yet.”
Doncic (recovering from a left thigh injury) and fellow All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving (recovering from a right foot injury) are officially listed as probable for Wednesday’s home game against the Sacramento Kings. After losing seven of their last eight games, the Mavs (37-42) are one game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.
The Thunder own the tiebreaker over the Mavs, which means Dallas must win two more games than Oklahoma City in the final week of the season to extend their season.
“There’s a slim chance,” Doncic said. “We all know that, but like I said, whenever there’s an opportunity, I’m going to play.”
The Mavs, who currently have the 10th-best lottery odds, owe the New York Knicks a protected top-10 pick as the final piece of the Kristaps Porzingis trade. Team sources told ESPN on Monday that there were internal discussions about seating Doncic and Irving for the final three games, a scenario that would have prioritized protecting the lottery position over chasing the slim chance of qualifying for the buy-in tournament. .
Doncic said he was not included in those discussions.
“I think they knew I wouldn’t want to do it,” said Doncic, who is averaging 32.8 points per game, two-tenths behind Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid in the scoring race. “They know what I’m like, so I guess it wasn’t much of a discussion.”
Doncic described this season as “very disappointing” for the Mavs, who advanced to the West finals a year ago. In an attempt to compete this season, Dallas made a blockbuster trade for Irving before the deadline, giving up two starters (Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie) and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick despite the fact that there was no guarantee that Irving would re-sign with the Mavs as a free agent this summer.
That deal hasn’t paid dividends, as the Mavs are 4-11 with Doncic and Irving in the lineup. The Mavs are 7-15 overall since Irving joined the team, falling from fourth in the West after wins in their first two games to 11th.
“I don’t think you see the chemistry we had before, I mean, especially last year,” Doncic said. “I think the chemistry was on top, everyone. But the chemistry doesn’t develop right away. It’s a long process.”
The Mavs have allowed 118.3 points per 100 possessions in those 22 games since Irving, who ranks 25th in the league during that span, arrived.
“I don’t think offense is a problem, and I’ve always said this,” Doncic said. “It’s our defensive end. I think anyone can score us. Whoever it is, anyone can score us.”
Doncic took responsibility for much of the Mavs’ defensive inadequacy. He said he has struggled with fatigue after having little time off the past three years, playing for the Mavs and the Slovenian national team, and carrying a historically heavy offensive workload early in the season following the departure of Jalen Brunson. in free agency.
“But that’s not an excuse,” Doncic said. “I’m still young, age-wise, but it’s a lot of basketball. But I have to be a lot better.”
“I am the leader of this team. The culprit is me.”
