After missing Dallas' previous game following the birth of his daughter, Luka Doncic was back for Dallas. Against Oklahoma City, in a match that tested his nerves.
“It was the happiest day of my life, with the birth of the baby, but today's match also gave me a roller coaster ride”, explains Luka Doncicwho had written the name of his daughter, Gabriela, on his shoes. “I'm so sad we didn't win this game, but we gave a big, big effort. »
A whistle that makes him unpin
Dallas made the biggest run in history with a 30-0 run in the fourth quarter that almost overthrew Oklahoma City. Except that in the last two minutes, and while the Mavericks had a two-point lead (120-118) and possession, the Texan leader was whistled for a walk which drove him crazy…
“It was probably a walk, but these walks happen, in my opinion, about 20 times a game”he curses. “With a minute and a half left in the game, you can't call that kind of walk for the first time in the game. I don't think that's possible. Marches like this happen a lot during a game and the NBA doesn't usually call them, so it really surprised me. »
Jason Kidd preferred not to comment on the action, and it is true that dribbling starts are quite rare. The problem is above all that it took Luka Doncic out of the meeting…
A huge wasted triple-double
Focusing on the referees, the Slovenian lost his concentration, complaining about the official who had not whistled the same walk to Jalen Williams in the process. Before missing his throw-in, intercepted by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Enough to spoil his enormous triple-double at 36 points, 15 rebounds and 18 assists.
” It pissed me off “ confirms Luka Doncic, who came to complain again at the referee at the end of the match. Even if he recognizes that this shouldn't take him out of the meeting like this. “This can’t happen. That's probably what made us lose the match. The concentration should be there, but I was a little exhausted.”
The only consolation for the Dallas “franchise player”: with this 59th career triple-double, he joins Larry Bird in the specialty rankings, rising to 9th place.
