For the fourth consecutive game, the Dallas Mavericks had a chance to win or tie the score at the buzzer. And for the fourth consecutive game, they lost.
This time it was a Naji Marshall corner 3-pointer that went long (it’ll be interesting if the final two-minute report says he was fouled; it seemed close) as the Mavericks fell to the Utah Jazz 115-113 on Thursday night.
With Kyrie Irving sidelined, Luka Doncic attempted to snap Dallas out of its three-game losing streak (now four) with 37 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, but he wasn’t as good as that line would indicate. As has been the case all season, he struggled from 3-point range, making just four of his 13 three-pointers to fall below 32% for the season.
He also fell asleep at the worst possible time on the defensive end, allowing John Collins to slide behind him while his back was turned for what turned out to be the game-winning dunk for the Jazz, who are now 3 -8.
As mentioned, these last-second losses are becoming a very familiar outcome for the 5-7 Mavericks.
On Tuesday, Doncic had a chance to tie the game against the Warriors with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but he missed wide right. Two days before that, Irving missed what would have been the game-winning 3-pointer from the left wing as Dallas fell at Denver 122-120. And two days before that, Doncic’s last-second hit against Phoenix was right on the line, but fell short as the Mavericks lost 114-113.
Let’s do the math and there are four defeats for a total of eight points. The Mavericks have a point differential of over 10 and are a positive team in the fourth quarter. Where they are losing is in the decisive moment: the last five minutes, when a game is within five points. Only four teams are posting a worse point differential than Dallas.
If this sounds strange for a team with two of the greatest individual creators in NBA history, it is. And it probably won’t continue. Irving has done his part down the stretch in close games, but Doncic was below 40% shooting from the field in tough situations entering Thursday. Worse yet, the Mavericks came in with the second-worst defense in the league.
If the percentages even out, the Mavericks will get some of these close wins to work their way up as the season progresses. But right now, they can’t come back from these losses in one possession.
