By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The fans at American Airlines Center booing the Dallas Mavericks can’t be easy to handle for Luka Doncic and his teammates.
The Slovenian star posted a 34-point, 10-rebound double-double to go with eight assists but the Charlotte Hornets prevailed in Dallas. At 36-38, the Mavs are now tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the tenth place of the Western Conference, balancing just outside the Play-In zone due to the unfavorable tiebreaker.
“Probably,” admitted Doncic when asked if the Mavericks deserved the boos.
“This season hasn’t been what we thought it was going to be,” he explained, “We’ve still got time to make it up.”
A five-game road trip with stops in Charlotte, Indiana, Philadelphia, Miami, and Atlanta is the next challenge. The last three games of the 2022-23 NBA Regular Season will be at home.
“We got to fight harder and play harder,” said Doncic, “We got to show we care. And it starts with me first. We’ve got to believe this team can play better, play harder.”
The Mavericks went from 31-26 to only five wins in the next 17 outings.
“It’s really frustrating,” the Slovenian guard described recent struggles, “I used to have fun smiling on the court. But it’s been so frustrating for a lot of reasons, not just basketball.”
Meanwhile, Dallas informed the NBA about preparing to submit the paperwork to protest the loss to the Golden State Warriors. Doncic was fined $35,000 for his gesture at the end of the tight battle.
Photo Credit: Getty Images