Dallas Mavs' Luka Doncic Speaks on 'Terrible' Turnovers, Areas to Fix vs. Denver Nuggets
DENVER — The Dallas Mavericks faced their first major test of the 2023-24 season with a matchup against the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets on the road. The result was a 125-114 loss, dropping the Mavs' record to 4-1 through five games.
For as challenging of a task as it is to account for Nikola Jokic and the rest of the talent in the Nuggets' offense, they have been arguably more impressive defensively this season. Denver has contained opposing teams to just 0.854 points per possession in the half-court, tying the Minnesota Timberwolves for best in the NBA.
Kyrie Irving's return to the lineup provided a clearer picture of where the team is currently as they focus on building for the big picture. The team still must establish a cohesive identity when matching up against a top team like the Nuggets.
Luka Doncic continued to produce incredible counting stats as he finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists but did so while turning it over nine times, accounting for nearly half of the Mavs' 19 total turnovers. After taking pride in having low turnover numbers in previous games to begin the season, he called his turnovers against the Nuggets "terrible."
"Yeah, it was terrible. I was just sloppy with the ball, I think, just trying to make the passes," Doncic said. "For a lot of them, it wasn't a good decision. I just have to look into it and watch the film; I have to get way better at turnovers. I think I started the season very low in turnovers and have been kind of sloppy with the ball the last couple of games. I have got to get better."
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic with Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.
C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images
The Nuggets mixed up their defensive coverages between blitzing Doncic when using a ball screen when attempting to force a switch, while other teams were diligent about taking away the interior dropoff pass and the weak-side passing lanes when leaving a defender like Michael Porter Jr. on an island. Without having to fear the shooting threat of Dereck Lively II or Derrick Jones Jr., Denver favored loading up in the paint to make it difficult for Dallas' superstars.
"I just think he's a great player," Porter said of Doncic. "Being 6-foot-8 at the point guard position, he's able to seek matchups and use his height and strength against a lot of players. All you can do is make it tough on a player like that. You have to compete and take on the challenge, and that's what we all did tonight."
The Mavs have struggled with giving up big quarters to their opponents, oftentimes during the opening period. Doncic highlighted the slow start that proved to be a 40-24 disadvantage to start the second quarter but mentioned many positives, considering they outscored the Nuggets by a 90-85 margin for the rest of the game.
"Yeah, we started slow, but I think there are many positive things to look at," Doncic said. "I think what lost us the game was my turnover and giving up some offensive rebounds. But I think this was last year we lost by 30. So I think there are many positive things to look at."
As Doncic mentioned, the Mavs' inability to contain the Nuggets on the offensive boards proved a significant issue. Often deploying small lineups, Dallas gave up 19 offensive rebounds and 20 second-chance points, creating a 12-point differential in this area. When getting beaten on the boards and giving up 21 fast break points, the factors that go into a stable formula for success aren't present.
Doncic highlighted a need to deploy bigger lineups to handle Jokic and the Nuggets' bigger perimeter players like Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., who are often aggressive in crashing the offensive glass. Despite adding Grant Williams in the offseason, Dallas remains disadvantaged from a perimeter size standpoint.
"I really think sometimes we've got to go with a little bit bigger lineup, especially with [Nikola] Jokic and [Aaron] Gordon in there and [Michael] Porter Jr. — tall guys," Doncic said. "They really have a lot of people that can get offensive rebounds."
Without Maxi Kleber available to play, the Mavs lacked another experienced frontcourt option they trust to add size to the frontcourt. Dallas struggled to execute with Dwight Powell anchoring the middle, while rookie Lively was learning what it's like to face Jokic and the Nuggets for the first time in his NBA career. However, again, the Mavs deployed small perimeter combinations that were exploited.
Despite finishing with 15 turnovers as a team, the Nuggets ultimately finished with 17, and the Mavs outscored Denver in points off turnovers by a four-point margin despite giving up 21 to the opposition. Regardless, retaining possession more consistently could have created a legitimate advantage in this area to overcome other shortcomings.
The Mavs are still having a very favorable start to the season, with Doncic averaging 33.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 9.4 assists. He's doing so while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor, 44.6 percent from 3-point range, and 74.4 percent on free throws. Dallas is producing the second-most points per possession (1.086) overall but has plenty of improvement areas before taking the next step against top contenders.
The Mavs return to action on Sunday when they take on the Charlotte Hornets at American Airlines Center, beginning the first game of a back-to-back.
