Fans at the American Airlines Center booing the Dallas Mavericks cannot be easy for Luka Doncic and his teammates to handle.
The Slovenian star put up a double-double of 34 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, but the Charlotte Hornets prevailed in Dallas. At 36-38, the Mavs are now tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 10th place in the Western Conference, finding themselves just outside the Play-In zone due to the unfavorable direct clash with OKC.
“Probably so.”, Doncic admitted when asked if the Mavericks deserved the booing. “This season has not been what we thought it would be but we still have time to fix it.”
A five-game road trip with stops in Charlotte, Indiana, Philadelphia, Miami and Atlanta is the next challenge. The final three games of the 2022-23 NBA regular season will be played at home.
“We have to fight harder and play harder. We have to show that we care. And it starts with me first. We have to believe that this team can play better, play more.”
The Mavericks went from 31-26 to just five wins in their next 17 outings.
“It’s really frustrating, I used to enjoy smiling on the court. But it’s been so frustrating for so many reasons, not just basketball.”
Meanwhile, Dallas informed the NBA to prepare to file papers protesting the defeat to the Golden State Warriors. Doncic was fined $35,000 for his actions at the end of the hard-fought battle.
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