“That’s on me”: Rick Carlisle Takes Blame For Mavs Loss to Spurs
In a close matchup at American Airlines Center, the Dallas Mavericks fell 119-117 to the San Antonio Spurs. Spurs forward DeMar DeRozan hit the game-winner, giving the Spurs a two-point lead with less than a second remaining.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle blamed himself for electing not to double team DeRozan. After the game, he acknowledged that he made a mistake:
“In hindsight, we obviously should have gone [to double-team]. That’s on me. That’s my decision.”
Kristaps Porzingis, who fouled out with just over a minute remaining, led the Mavericks with 31 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
Luka Doncic also performed well on Sunday night, scoring 29 points and seven assists. However, his contributions weren’t enough to give Dallas the edge it needed.
READ MORE: Doncic, Mavs Can't Stop DeRozan, Fall To Spurs 119-117
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Now let's hear Mavs talk:
Porzingis on fouling out:
“Going for the block, in my head I saw that clearly, I was going to get the block,” Porzingis said. “But he’s good at leaning back, and I hit his head a little bit. It’s a tough one, obviously. I wanted to be out there. Even with everything, we had a chance to win the game.”
Porzingis on DeRozan’s game-winner:
“DeMar hit a huge shot,” Porzingis said. “Hat’s off to him. That just shows how hard it is to win every night, against an NBA team.”
Doncic on DeRozan’s shot:
“He made a hell of a shot, over a good defender.”
Carlisle on Mavs strategy going into the last play:
“We elected to let Doe-Doe guard him straight up,”
The Mavericks (29-23) will stay home and face the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday at 6:00 CST.
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