Mavs Talk: 'Stop The Bleeding!'
DALLAS - Willie Cauley-Stein said the Dallas Mavericks are "bleeding" following a 111-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. This was the Mavericks' fifth straight consecutive loss. ... which is kind of gruesome, yes.
While Dallas had a 15-point lead at one point during the third quarter, the score flipped as Suns guard Chris Paul shined. Paul assisted or scored 30 of the Suns' 34 points in the fourth quarter.
Luka Doncic scored 29 points and was as electrifying as usual, but the struggling Mavs might need more from him to break out of their slump.
Now let's hear Mavs talk:
Doncic on team effort:
“I think the effort was great today and I think we had a little bad luck,” Doncic said. “We had like five or six open shots at the end and they don’t fall. We got to work on that.”
READ MORE: Mavs Fall to Suns - Fifth Straight Loss
Doncic on fatigue kicking in:
“I think everybody was a little tired,” said Doncic, who finished with 29 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.” We came (home from Salt Lake City) at like 4 a.m.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on Doncic:
“Luka Doncic really cares about winning... “This guy was brought up in an environment of winning. There’s a lot of frustration that sets in. I understand the emotions. They are very difficult.”
Carlisle on the Mavericks’ struggles:
“We’re getting guys back,” Carlisle said. “We’re at the height of the difficulty of our schedule. … We’ve just got to fight and stem the tide—that’s what we’ve got to do. It’s a very difficult time but we’re going to stay in it and we’re going to keep fighting through.”
Cauley-Stein on getting back on the right track:
“We’re bleeding and we’re trying to stop the bleeding. And I think the effort level – our attitude and effort tonight — was like two steps in the right direction, and it felt like everyone was together.”
READ MORE: Cuban: Post-COVID, 'In Crunch Time' Mavs Will Contend
Tim Hardaway Jr. on the team's improvement:
“I feel like that in order for you to be great, you have to go through the trenches with your brothers and crawl and dig your way out of that hole,” Tim Hardaway Jr. said. “Tonight, I think we moved one step closer in the right direction.
On Tuesday night the Mavs (8-12) will face the Phoenix Suns (10-8) again at home in the American Airlines Center (7:30 PM CT). And of course, DallasBasketball.com will be present ... tourniquet at the ready.
