Luka Doncic keeps on pumping out insane numbers for the Dallas Mavericks, but his efforts have not been enough of late to get his team out of a rut. On Tuesday night, the Mavs suffered a 137-120 loss to the Indiana Pacers at home despite another brilliant performance by the Slovenian superstar.
If anything, his dazzling numbers versus the Pacers earned him a place in an extremely exclusive NBA statistical club together with the legendary Oscar Robertson and former NBA Most Valuable Player and current Los Angeles Clippers point guard Russell Westbrook.
Via StatMuse:
Luka last four games:
39 PTS | 10 REB | 11 AST
38 PTS | 11 REB | 10 AST
37 PTS | 12 REB | 11 AST
30 PTS | 12 REB | 16 ASTJoins Oscar and Westbrook as the only players with 4 consecutive 30-point triple-doubles — He’s 1-3 in those games.
Another Luka Doncic Explosion, Another Loss For The Struggling Dallas Mavericks
One has to wonder what else Doncic needs to do in order to tow the Dallas Mavericks to a win. Against the Pacers, he posted 39 points on an efficient 15-for-30 shooting from the field, though, he only went 4-for-13 from behind the arc. He played 43 minutes on the floor, mostly spending his time being a huge problem for the Pacers’ defense.
Speaking of which, the Mavericks’ defense continues to be a big issue that’s weighing down the team. The Mavs have allowed an average of 131.7 points over their current three-game win streak. The Pacers shot 53.8 percent from the field against the Dallas Mavericks and went 18-for-39 on their 3-point attempts. On the season, the Mavericks are just 24th in adjusted defensive efficiency with 117.9 points allowed per 100 possessions, per Dunks & Threes.
The offense looks fine for Dallas, but until it solves its problems on the other side of the floor, the Mavs could end up wasting more great Doncic performances this season. The offense isn’t a concern, as evidenced in the Pacers game, when, in addition to what Doncic put up, Kyrie Irving and PJ Washington had 23 and 20 points, respectively. The Mavs are also sixth offensively with 118.5 points per 100 possessions adjusted.
