Should fans be worried about Mavericks clutch woes?

The Dallas Mavericks were down by 11 in the third quarter against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 30 before storming back to grab a four-point lead with 5:16 left. It appeared that Luka Doncic was going to lift Dallas to a victory on the second night of a back-to-back with a 34-point triple-double, but the Mavs faltered in crunch time.

They scored just two points and missed all nine of their field goal attempts in the final five minutes in their 110-108 loss to the rebuilding Magic. Doncic took just one shot down the stretch as Orlando forced the ball out of his hands with double teams.

Mavericks fans have seen this movie before. The team failed to hit shots down the stretch in a close loss. Should they be worried about the team’s clutch time woes?

Should fans be worried about the Dallas Mavericks' clutch woes?

All nine of the team’s field goals were open looks, and they got four free throws. The shots just did not fall, and Dallas only made two at the foul line. Coach Kidd was happy about the attempts in his postgame interview.

The team attempted eight 3-pointers in the final five minutes and missed every one. Those were the open looks, but the Mavs are shooting just 23.7 percent from 3-point range in clutch situations, according to NBA Stats.

Dallas sunk to 9-13 in games that have clutch situations, which gives them the 22nd best winning percentage in the league. Should fans be worried about the Dallas Mavericks' struggles in clutch time?

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is clutch but teams force him to give it up

Luka Doncic is no stranger to hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater with three already in his career. The 22-year-old superstar never gets sped up, and he has ice in his veins. Fans can see Luka’s game-winners below.

Teams know Doncic has a history of making those shots, so they naturally force the ball out of his hands. Luka still attempts 1.9 shots per game in clutch time, which is the most on the Mavericks, and he is shooting 44.4 percent from the field.

In clutch games with Luka this season, the Mavericks are 9-5. The 22-year-old creates open shots and his teammates need to knock them down. Dallas needed to sink just one of their eight 3-pointers on Jan. 30 to go home with a victory. Luka and the Mavs will take those odds, and he said as much after the game.

"If we had another game, if next game they double me, I would still do the same thing."

Teams are going to double and triple-team Doncic late in playoff games. Can his teammates sink enough shots to lift Dallas to wins? They were shorthanded on Sunday night with Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. out, but it underscored a problem the Dallas Mavericks should be looking to fix before the Feb. 10 trade deadline.

Dallas Mavericks need to trade for a creator before the deadline

Head coach Jason Kidd used Jalen Brunson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, and Reggie Bullock next to Luka Doncic in the Mavs closing lineup against the Magic. Dallas played small to space the floor around their 22-year-old superstar. The Mavericks gave Luka the ball and let him go to work, but Dallas needs someone that can take the pressure off Doncic.

The Suns are the best clutch team in the league in part because they have Chris Paul and Devin Booker that can both create shots in the final five minutes. Dallas is trying to replicate that with Jalen Brunson flanking Doncic, but the Mavs need someone other than Luka that can create shots late.

Clutch performances are difficult to put stock in because all the stats are small samples. Having someone that can create open looks and gives defense something else to game plan for could take Dallas’ offense to another level late in games.

First-year general manager and president of basketball operations Nico Harrison should be searching for another shot creator before the Feb. 10 trade deadline. Fans continue to see the rumors pouring out, and they can expect the Dallas Mavericks to be active and aggressive. Stay tuned for all the latest.