Dallas Mavericks talisman Luka Doncic scored a triple-double against the Boston Celtics in the second game of the NBA finals on Sunday. Doncic scored 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists but could not prevent his team from a 105-98 loss.
The Slovenian admitted his turnovers and missed free throws cost them the game as they now trail by 2-0 in the series.
“I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game,” Doncic said after joining LeBron James, Charles Barkley and Jerry West as the only players in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double in a Finals loss. “So, I’ve got to do way better in those two categories.
“But at the end of the day, we’ve got to make shots to win the game.”
Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving scored 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting in Sunday’s loss as he could not bring his A-game. Irving also took the blame for the loss on his shoulders.
“He’s not alone, and we are going to tell him that,” Irving said of Doncic. “He’s spilling into his emotions, feels like he could play better, just like me. I would take the brunt of the responsibility. The first two games weren’t the best for me.”
Irving admitted he hasn’t been able to execute his shots and it has led to the team’s downfall in the first two matches of the series.
“A lot of shots were hitting the back rim,” said Irving, who is 0-of-8 from 3-point range in the series. “That could piss you off as a competitor, but it’s all part of the game of basketball. And you have to accept the ups and downs of this. That’s, I would say, the toughest challenge when you’re in a series. You want to play extremely well, especially when you’re playing in a Finals.
“A little disappointed in myself not being able to convert a lot more on my opportunities that I have in the lane. Obviously, I’m going against Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown a few times, but I feel like I have the upper edge on certain possessions where I’ve just got to convert.”
“He had great looks. They just didn’t go down,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said of Irving. “That’s just the game of basketball. Sometimes you make them. Sometimes you don’t. You continue to keep playing.”
The third game of the series, which will be a must-win contest for the Mavericks, will be played on Wednesday.
