Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic says he “Made the right play”

The Dallas Mavericks were unable to complete the comeback against the Minnesota Timberwolves last night after a last second three-point attempt went long by Mavs rookie, Jalen Brunson.

Luka Doncic was visibly upset when he entered the locker room after a long postgame delay. The media waited for him patiently, with still close to 20 reporters hanging out waiting to hear the young star’s views on the game, and more specifically, the final play of the night.

Let’s set the scene.

The Dallas Mavericks were in the midst of coming back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Mavs came all the way back when they tied the score at 99-99 with 4 minutes left. The teams traded buckets back and forth for the next 3:41. With 19 seconds left, the Mavs were down by two with the ball in Luka’s hands.

Luka was guarded by Josh Okogie as he crossed half-court right to the top of the three-point circle. Luka dribbled into the key, planted and stepped back which sent Okogie to the floor, using the paint as a slip-and-slide. Luka got open for a three to take the lead for a fraction of a second, but as Dario Saric closed out on him, Luka passed up the shot for a wide open look for Jalen Brunson.

Brunson did not end up hitting the shot and the Mavs fell short in the game. In the locker room afterwards, Luka was asked if he felt he made the right decision.

“For sure,” said Luka. “[Jalen] was open, I would do it again, always. It was a great shot, everybody trusted him. It didn’t go in, but next time it will go in.”

Obviously this play has been put under the microscope from a number of different outlets, saying that Luka should have shot the ball. If you ask me, I think he made the right decision, based on his recent shooting slump and the fact that he is really a pass-first type player. It is never going to be easy to make that decision, and as his confidence grows over the next few years, I think he will start taking those shots.

Luka has had an incredible rookie season so far and, although that play could have been the icing on the cake, the right call was made and the Mavs just fell short of a big win. They will get another chance to get another W in the win column tonight as they take on the Memphis Grizzlies at 7:30 central time at the American Airlines Center.