Luka Doncic assured that the Mavericks’ loss in the first game of their Western Conference semifinal against the Phoenix Suns was due to the poor defensive performance of some of his teammates.
“We lost because of our defense. I think we didn’t play very well, especially at the back,” he told the media after the match about a defensive start to the game that he defined as “terrible.”
“We have to play like we are. Every game, our defense has to be at a high level,” he added.
And it is that Doncic touched the triple-double (45 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists), but he was left very alone in the attack of the Mavericks, who ended up losing by a score of 121-114.
On the other hand, Doncic commented that he had felt good on the court after recovering from an injury to one of his legs.
“It’s the ‘playoffs’. I’m ready for this,” he said.
With the exception of Maxi Kleber, 19 points with 5 three-pointers), the rest of the Mavericks’ attack had a poor performance. Even Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie only had 21 points between them.
For the Suns, Devin Booker had 23 points, 8 assists and grabbed 9 rebounds; Deandre Ayton 25 points and 8 rebounds; and Chris Paul 19 points and 5 rebounds.
When is the next game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns?
The second duel of this series, corresponding to the Western Conference, will take place at the Footprint Center in the city of Phoenix, starting at 9:00 pm (Colombian time) on Wednesday, May 4.
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