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Mavs Haunted By A Loss; Luka Doncic Is 'Pissed' About A Miss

The Dallas Mavericks Lost a Game In Chicago. But it's the Way They Lost That Bothers Luka Doncic
Mike Fisher|
Mavs Haunted By A Loss; Luka Doncic Is 'Pissed' About A Miss
Mavs Haunted By A Loss; Luka Doncic Is 'Pissed' About A Miss

DALLAS - Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has a unique habit of practicing, and then making, unique shots.

And when he fails to do so? He has a unique level of disappointment over the miss.

“That’s why I practice those,” said Doncic following Monday's 109-107 loss at lowly Chicago. “I was pissed I didn’t make that shot. In my mind I’m supposed to make that shot.”

"That shot'' was a 47-foot jumper over a pair of double-teaming Bulls ... a shot that had a very real chance of going in and stealing a win.

It's true that Luka has a knack for such in-game feats; his half-court shot during All-Star Weekend's "Rising Stars'' game was a fun highlight - even for the opponent who guarded him, Atlanta's Trae Young.

But it's no fun for the NBA Playoffs-bound Mavs to find themselves trailing a bad Chicago team that coming into Monday had lost 10 of its previous 11. ... trailing 107-99 with 23 seconds left ... and then staging a furious 8-2 run to rally ...

An 8-2 run that was almost an 11-2 run.

before going on an 8-2 run to the victory.

While Doncic played with a bum thumb, fellow star Kristaps Porzingis sat out due to "load management'' on the second game of a back-to-back (Dallas won on Sunday at Minnesota). There is reason for faith that when both are healthy and together, the Mavs are a tough out, for the final 19 games of the regular season and in the postseason, too.

But for now? Some unfortunate numbers are stacking up, including the fact that the Mavs are now 2-8 in games decided by three points or fewer and 5-15 in games decided by five points and under.

They've also developed a weird habit, as exhibited in Chicago, of losing double-digit leads and losing games. The defeat at the hands of the Bulls marks the 10th such failure this season.

“If you don’t continue to pound on that lead, you give the (opponents) opportunities and chance after chance, you wake up their confidence,'' said Dallas guard Courtney Lee. "Then they feel like they can play with anybody.''And allowing the Bulls to feel like they can play with Dallas? Yes, Luka and the Mavs have every justification for feeling "pissed.''

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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks since 1990. He has for more than 20 years served as the overseer of DallasBasketball.com, the granddaddy of Mavs news websites.

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