Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks are down 3-0 to the Boston Celtics following Wednesday’s 106-99 loss. The star guard fouled out late in the fourth quarter amid a comeback effort.
In an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Doncic said fouling out “wasn’t the smartest thing” in that spot. He apologized to his teammates after the game.
“My bad. Can’t do that, especially in the NBA Finals,” Doncic said. “Regular season is a little different, but can’t really do that in the Finals.”
Doncic called it “tough” to watch the closing minutes on the sideline. While he felt the outcome could have been different if he was on the court, he trusted Kyrie Irving and his teammates to prevail without him.
Ahead of his early exit, the Mavericks decreased a deficit once as high as 29 to just three. They went on a 20-8 run in the final quarter before Doncic got called for his sixth foul.
Doncic described what changed during Dallas’ rally.
“I think we were having fun. We were playing our basketball,” Doncic told Andrews. “We got stops, we ran pace, and that’s kind of how we played the whole playoffs outside of one or two games before the Finals.”
Before playing Wednesday, Doncic was listed as questionable with numerous injuries. He nevertheless claimed he’s now “100 percent.” Andrews didn’t seem to believe him, telling the 25-year-old that he “always says that.”
“I mean, it’s just no excuses,” Doncic replied. “I never have excuses. A lot of people are banged up.”
He later conceded that he’ll “probably” receive a pain-killing shot before Game 4.
Doncic said the scrutiny of his defense is “for sure” fair, but he thinks offense is the team’s bigger concern after scoring less than 100 points in each of the first three Finals games.
The regular season’s leading scorer remains hopeful that the Mavericks can become the first NBA team to ever win a playoff series after trailing 3-0.
“I believe we can do it because of the teammates I have,” Doncic said. “We have great chemistry, and we’re going to stay together no matter what.”
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