3 troublesome takeaways from Dallas Mavericks loss to shorthanded Wizards

The Dallas Mavericks suffered their second straight disappointing loss on Thursday night as they fell to the Washington Wizards 113-105 in the nation's capital. Luka Doncic struggled from the field and at the line, and the Mavs could not find a way to win, despite Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis being out.

Kyle Kuzma saved the Wizards on Thursday night as he went for 36 points, but he was far from the only Wizard who stepped up. The Mavericks struggled mightily in the second half for the second straight game as they had just 44 points. It was a disappointing night for all MFFLs as Dallas just should not lose games like this, much less two straight.

The Wizards made things tough on number 77 by sending multiple defenders, and the Mavs just could not figure things out on Thursday night. Here are three takeaways from the disappointing loss.

Takeaway from Dallas Mavericks win over Wizards: 3. Luka’s free throw woes return

Luka Doncic struggled for the second straight night. He scored 30 or more points in his first nine games to open the season, but that was snapped on Wednesday night in Orlando, and the 23-year-old superstar still could not find his shot on Nov. 10 in the nation’s capital.

Doncic struggled from the field, but his biggest woes came at the line. Over his previous five games, Luka’s free throw shooting dipped to 70.2 percent, and he made just three of nine on Thursday night. He is a career 73.9 percent foul shooter, but he shot better each of the last two years. His struggles returned against the Wizards.

Luka’s free throw shooting is something to watch closely as the season progresses. His free throw attempts are way up as he is taking 11.2 per game, and the Mavericks need him to make them if they want to finish in the top four in the conference again this season.

It was a bad loss on Thursday night to the shorthanded Washington Wizards, and Luka’s struggles were a massive factor in the second straight loss by Dallas.

Takeaway from Dallas Mavericks win over Wizards: 2. Can’t overcome Luka’s struggles

Luka Doncic finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 39 minutes of action on Thursday night. He was just eight of 21 from the field and struggled from the foul line. It was the second straight game where number 77 failed to top 30 points, and it was a forgettable night for the unbelievable talent.

The Mavs needed the rest of the team to step up on Thursday night, but it just did not happen. Spencer Dinwiddie was fantastic. He finished with 33 points and six assists against his former team, and Dwight Powell had 14 points and seven rebounds, but Dallas did not get enough from everybody else.

The Wizards were doubling Luka and forcing him to give the ball up. All Dallas needed to do was make open shots, but they struggled to do that, especially in the second half. The Mavs scored just 44 second-half points and shot 43.0 percent from the field in another bad loss.

The Mavs bench could not find it on Thursday night as they clearly missed Christian Wood. They were just eight of 29 from the field, and five of those makes came from Tim Hardaway Jr. It was an all-around disappointing loss to a team that did not have their two best players. The biggest letdown on Thursday night was the Mavericks' defense.

Takeaway from Dallas Mavericks win over Wizards: 1. Defense

The Mavs played stout defense in Orlando, but they did not hit their shots in a bad loss to the shorthanded Magic. They did the opposite in the nation’s capital. Dallas made 18 3-pointers, but they gave up 113 points to the Wizards without Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis.

Head coach Jason Kidd has emphasized defense since joining the Mavericks in the summer of 2021, so he will not be happy with the team’s effort on Thursday night. Kyle Kuzma toasted the Mavs for 36 points, and the Wizards as a team shot 48.8 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from 3-point range.

There were too many defensive breakdowns to overcome, especially on the second night of a back-to-back set. The Mavericks were ninth in defensive rating coming into the game, but Thursday’s struggles did not help them.

Can coach Kidd get his team back to playing stout defense? They reached the conference finals last season on the back of their defense. They held the Jazz to 100 or fewer points four times in the first round of the playoffs, and the Suns had their three lowest-scoring games against the Mavericks in the conference semifinals. Dallas needs to defend well if they want to make another run, and that did not happen against the Wizards.

The Dallas Mavericks dropped both games on their road trip, and now they head back to the DFW for a five-game homestand. Next up is a battle against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night, and fans know Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard always get into a scoring duel, so do not miss it.