By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Winning on Tuesday was a necessity for the Dallas Mavericks but Luka Doncic does not budge in elimination games nor when the opponents attempt to come back from a large deficit, in this case, the Golden State Warriors,
“A win is a win. We just had to stay together and finish the game,” the Slovenian superstar commenting on the lead being reduced from 29 to eight points in Game 4 versus the Warriors, “We got to believe. I think our defense was way better today. And I think we took the paint. Those two things are key. That is why got to bring in San Francisco.”
“It’s a game of runs. The Warriors are always going to have a big quarter. We did pretty good in the first three they went on a run to start the fourth. There’s no panic,” noted head coach Jason Kidd, “We had a pretty good lead and they had to make a decision and brought their group back in, and they couldn’t get it done.”
Doncic, 23, recorded 30 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, two blocks, and two steals as the Mavs avoided a four-game sweep in the Western Conference Finals best-of-seven series.
“I still believe. Swept or not swept, in the end, if you lose, you lose. Doesn’t matter how many wins. We got to believe until the end,” he added, “We got more to do. We got three more. We have to go game-by-game.”
Game 5 follows on Thursday. If Dallas manages to get the job done on the road and stave off elimination once more, the series will return to American Airlines Center Saturday. If necessary, Game 7 will be held in Chase Center Monday.
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