How the Dallas Mavericks Nearly Completed a 30-Point Comeback in Game 4

The Dallas Mavericks dug out of a 31-point hole against the Los Angeles Clippers to take the lead with 2:15 left but Kyrie Irving & Luka Doncic just couldn't do enough to go up 3-1
Nick Angstadt ‪@LockedOnNBA‬ & Slightly Biased ‪@SlightlyBiased‬ react to Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, and the Dallas Mavericks nearly completing a 31-point comeback against the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4.
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#LukaDoncic #KyrieIrving #DallasMavericks #Dallas #NBA #Mavericks #Mavs #DallasMavs #MFFL

[@jeffseibert9028]

Derek Jones Jr. played his ASS off!!!

[@nicstatic]

Clippers scored 20 pts in the paint in the 4Q. Gafford didn’t play at DLive barely played. You’ve got to be KIDDing me.

[@rikolai22]

So they played big in the 3rd and erased a 17 point lead. Then we stopped playing the centers. Why

[@walkrwalkr3622]

Kidd sucks.

[@gregkleinfall1901]

62% from 3 cannot be allowed

[@maferreira1984]

It's not like it's the first time perimeter defense costs the Mavs the game. They were done by the 3rd quarter in their last game against the Celtics. It's possibly their one serious defensive weakness, and Clippers don't even have a true long-range specialist or a big that can shoot. If the other team is sinking 3s, they can only hope for Luka-Kyrie miracles with clutch wins down to the wire. However, Luka's commitment in the defensive end is taking a huge toll on his offense. He's having to rely on shooting too much even when he's ice cold -- as has been the case from game 1 -- because he can't play bully ball and good defense for 40-45 minutes, especially with people hunting him down like they are doing. So it's about time he has a good shooting night and Mavs make it 3-2 next game, or else it will be Clippers in 7.

[@queque5606]

Honestly those left open wide threes really hurt. They contested most of them but man what can you do. You have to match them by scoring but that wasn’t the case at the 1st quarter.

[@beastscale1892]

Most of those were contested

[@boristeplitskiy7632]

Luka needs to work the high post, he’s a step slower. Rely on the post game and have guys slot cut

[@Thomasfrommygirl]

Also… it won’t. It was just a night that shots fell that normally don’t. Once they stopped falling they blew a 31 point lead. Questionable coaching on kidds part down the stretch to go away from what got you back into the game though… I think he tries to outsmart the game and doesn’t do the obvious

[@thomasyates6025]

Lively should have been in at the end.

[@jimmygreer2140]

Or Gafford!!! The Mavs NEEDED a rim protector out there and NEITHER of our rim protectors saw much in the 4th. When Kyrie got us the lead Kidd should've put 1 of them in there.

[@walkrwalkr3622]

Kidd trust Kleber more 😟

[@bgdgdgdf4488]

@@jimmygreer2140 Kleber was the best defender in the game. Problem was Luka being in.

[@countfloydschillerhorrorth2090]

@@bgdgdgdf4488 It was the non luka minutes that lost them the game Luka was plus 10 in 45 minutes and the 3 minutes he didn't play. the mavs(with Kyrie) was -15. But obviously Kidd made a joke of a coaching move and have Luka guard the point of attack pg down the stretch.

[@jimmygreer2140]

@bgdgdgdf4488 whatever troll. I love Maxi's defense but he's NEVER been a rim protector.

[@rikolai22]

Kidd is always going to revert back to small lineups with no center. He's a stubborn guy and he believes if a team is making 3s that you have to pull the center and I believe he is wrong. You have to play your best 5 and the truth is the Mavs were slogging through this season until they started playing big and their identity changed into a contender. So you go with that lineup, establish your identity and win or lose with that group. The Mavs have become unreal at protecting the rim(with a center on the court) and those stops often turn into transition offense or ignite the crowd and themselves.

[@ronniepayne100]

How? The small ball is what brought them back

[@leoreoibardo9294]

nah, this was luka's fault. he's making harden, mann, broodie look like dpoy. he supposed to be bullying those mfs. jokic, shai, lebron, AD, brunson, the Js of celtics, tyrese maxie, hali, embiid, ant, etc.would have cooked those mfs

[@queque5606]

@@ronniepayne100brought them back until Ty understood that Luka was in foul trouble with 5 fouls, so that means ? Harden was going to take advantage and blow by him to the paint. And what did Maxi do? Stood there looking at Harden do floaters back to back rather than contest. That was an adjustment needed ASAP.

[@leoreoibardo9294]

harden, pg, kyrie show up in game 4. look how difficult those shots they are making. luka was a non-factor defensively and offensively specially on that crunch time. LUKA'S FAULT

[@ronniepayne100]

@@queque5606 harden blew past him the first game. Wasn’t cause of foul trouble the first game either. Luka can’t guard him. So once James go past him, he can do the floater or throw a lob. Only way to stop that play is if Luka plays better defense or they don’t let Harden get the switch

[@jimmygreer2140]

It's not the magnets. It's Kidd!!! Where was Gafford & Lively in the 4th when Harden was getting like 12+ paint points? Kidd's damn obsession with his small ball Maxi at center lineup is NOT GOOD!!! I get it, that lineup got the Mavs a lead. Time to go big and play defense!!! But nooooo!!!! I wanted to throw up with the lack of rim protection and Harden getting like 4 layup/floaters in a row. After 2 of those it should've been TIMEOUT and Gafford in with Maxi. GO BIG AND CONTROL THE PAINT!!!

[@001dpyle]

An entire Bar was yelling . Why is Maxi still in the Game where is Lively in the 4th! So ridiculous

[@howardcarmichael2024]

Watch the game Luka was hobbled so the trap which left 4 vs 3 & LA executed

[@WarriorKidd06]

That’s it exactly. It got us the lead but it didn’t give us a chance to keep that lead. Neither Lively or Gafford should be on the bench in the key areas of a late game. NEVER

[@eaddyy]

Ive thought lively had been doing a great job contesting 3s all series so im not worried about him being the big playing

[@seldom24]

It got us the lead but the real reason Mavs got a chance to take the lead is when we cut that 31 point deficit in 2nd and 3rd qtr and that is with Lively and Gafford lineup on 2Q and 3Q.

[@ezekielespinosa7762]

Damn! This loss realy stings. Especially after coming back from 30+ to take the lead at home. We must bounce back strong in game 5 or we are done

[@astashasta1]

actually it would be 3-2

[@suprcrzy]

Yea even if we lose game 5, the Mavs would still have a decent shot to win the series. It would be a really big win, but it's not do or die yet. Outside of a fluky game 1, the finishes are all close.

[@pfunk42]

Speed up the pace early, get the ball out of Luka's hands and use Kyrie primarily at the point. Luka needs to learn to play off the ball. He's been horrible this series

[@tomas4life350]

If Luka doesn’t look like Luka this series is over, that’s all there is to it

[@andreslancheros2863]

Harden is owning Luka

[@UncleGames]

The big difference is Gafford and Lively sitting in the bench during the crucial minutes of the game. The Clippers already know that Luka has 5 fouls and took advantage on it. There should be a big man guarding that rim.

[@jbeast313]

Never thought I would say this but…. Luka needs to step up.

[@imdbtruth]

He needs to shoot better being that this is not his MVP level we're seeing, but he played 45 minutes in game 4 and was +10 in a game they lost by 5 points... In 3 minutes without Luka out there, Kyrie was -15, in THREE minutes! In game 1 Luka plays most of the game and finishes +3 when they lost by 12 points! Kyrie was -12 in THREE minutes without Luka! Kyrie has to play better when Luka's not out there!

[@seldom24]

We saw on that game how inferior JKidd is to Ty Lue as a coach. Ty Lue put a clinic on Kidd on that game, dude calls timeout and draws the right plays to stop Mavs run, all of Lue timeouts on this games gave Clippers net positive, all of those timeouts resulted to stopping Mavs run.

[@jdrgamer27]

Should the Mavs consider running offense through Kyrie while Luka is dealing with his knee issue?

[@rikolai22]

Yes they absolutely should

[@pfunk42]

Stop making excuse for Luka. Kyrie should have the offense regardless of any injury. He's the better player

[@jdrgamer27]

We'll have to agree to disagree. I respect your opinion, but I don't see it as an excuse. He's obviously been playing hurt. Mavs should try moving the offense through Kyrie. On that, I agree. I'm not sure Luka will. Hahaha

[@alexyoung808s6]

Lukas “injury” isn’t stopping him from jacking up bad shots. The offense should run through Kyrie regardless

[@jordanwolfe9853]

Luka throwing up bad shots doesn't change that he is injured.. you people acting like it's an excuse, it's just reality. Try playing basketball with a messed up knee, then imagine it in a much bigger scenario like the NBA. Don't pretend Kyrie is better than Luka when Luka is 100% over the course of a full game. Kyrie should run the offense while Luka is tired but Luka is the best player on the Mavs. Just need him to actually get in better shape and get healthy.

[@Taiwaneverything]

The corner three by PG was decisive. And Harden's floaters. Luka has been looking tired all series, a bit concerning.

[@rikolai22]

Don't think it's fatigue, think it's a bad wheel

[@AdamHammond-]

​@@rikolai22 It's probably also fatigue. He's played 42, 46, 40 and 45 minutes and been giving his all on defense (maybe not so much today)

[@mintihar]

Why was his knee bleeding recently?

[@andreslancheros2863]

Harden cooked this entire team. No one can guard him

[@Someguy8822]

It’s not bleeding, he’s wearing the same blood stained knee sleeves from a while ago that he wraps up pre game then takes off the wrap during game to make it look like it was bleeding.

[@beastscale1892]

Top 3 observations of the game 1) Gafford and Lively look comfortable which is a good sign but we have to get them going early. Stand no chance if we don't let their pressence be felt in the post. 2) Luka needs to attack the paint from start of game to get our centers going. I shouldn't see Harden nor Mann keeping him from the paint. Back them down and force the Clippers to double. 3) we need to prevent Harden from switching onto Luka and Luka on defense should extend as far as that 3pt line. Rather "give" Harden/PG13 long 3s vs Luka than them blowing past him for and 1 finishes due to late switches. Also keep Lively or Gafford in in late 4th quarter vs Clippers as Kleber despite his best efforts is just a PF. Unless the Clippers go small with no center in the lineup then don't bring Kleber out. Let him start the 4th but don't let him close.

[@jeshely]

Right after some (Nick) anointed Luka as the best 3 point shooter after Steph, his 3 point shot suddenly turns into 💩. Go figure.

[@nenola504]

Luka not even the best shooter on his team that’s kyrie 40% from 3 his career and won a 3 pt contest with Steph in it

[@alexyoung808s6]

@@nenola504Thank you!! Nick and the rest of the Luka stans really think he’s the best 3 point shooter behind Steph. Kyrie is a better 3 shooter than Luka. Kyrie is actually the most efficient scorer on our team.

[@Andrew-gs2ps]

@@alexyoung808s6Luka is still a pretty good shooter. But you’re not wrong

[@Someguy8822]

These guys have consistent bad takes and are extremely biased. Saying Luka was the2nd best shooter in te league was completely delusional.

[@takuid]

Nick is a stan, not an analyst.

[@mavsdebator]

This is the first time in the Luka Doncic era that LD has been worse offensively in the post-season than he was in the regular season... Add the fact that Exum, the only other ball-handler/playmaker on the team has been awful, THJ the defacto 3rd option scorer has been awful or unavailable, and Gafford has been a shell of himself & not ready for the playoffs... This team does not look anything close to a title contender and is still at least 2 major pieces away.

[@gamerzwithjobs330]

There’s three things that piss me off about this game: 1. We opened up so flat and poor just like game 1. We’re a completely different team against them when Kawahi is playing and when he isn’t.They shoot better, they’re faster, move quicker, it’s a different squad and after two games we have no answeres for the start of the game. 2. Yes Luka has a triple double but let’s be series, he played bad today. A lot of turnovers, super passive on his drives, horrible from 3, and turnstile defensively. It was a poor Luka game. 3. Kidd and the coaching staff FUCKED us in the fourth. We were down 31 and through the second and third we made a killer comeback with having one of lively and gafford in, playing hard nosed defense, and pushing it attacking it with kyire running the show, so what do we do? We go small ball the whole 4th and get no rebounds and harden kills us. We were up 2 with 2:14 left and we never put it in lively or Gafford and they instantly went on a 5/6-0 with poor rebounding and us turning over. We fought back to get up 1, only to get outcoached and outplayed. It hurts

[@greakfreakmyboy9822]

Couldn’t agree more. Jason Kidd is the Down fall of this team.

[@Andrew-gs2ps]

What’s most maddening is how we are getting cooked after that point, they score 3 straight and Kidd calls a timeout. You would think he would make an adjustment…NOPE. Same lineup, same play, no effort to get Luka out of the switch action. No sub. Just pitiful.

[@blicleak1101]

Luka seems NOT to be that guy. It hurts me to say it, but he looks completely out of his depth. Abysmal series for him. He’s a liability basically

[@ErkinZahedi]

Man that 4th quarter was gut-wrenching.

[@gamerzwithjobs330]

@@blicleak1101 you’re out of your mind. Have you not watched him his whole career here? Other Jordan he averages the most ppg in the playoffs and took us to WCF two years ago. He’s obviously hurt. He still had to play better, there is no excuse for that but to say he’s not that guy because he’s playing hurt and still getting almost 31 ppg and has a triple double yesterday is absurd. Again, dude has to play better but he has a knee injury and it’s obviously hampering hisgame

[@AdolphSaxOfficial]

Kidd sold our 1st quarter offense & 4th quarter defense big time. Him vs Ty Lue is not even fair. I don't care that Luka played like shit. He's been carrying this team on his back for 5 years, he's earned the right to play like a mere mortal for once. Not worried about him at all in these last couple games.

[@Musso88]

Exactly right. Luka has definitely looked out of sorts, but it’s 4 games! So quickly people start saying Kyrie needs to be the main man (as if that’s supposed to be taken seriously) and seem to forget that Luka is the only reason they would even be this far to begin with. That being said, he’s gotta start playing better!

[@IsraelNguz]

You are just fanatics when hé don't play well we are supposed the clap our hands ? ​@@Musso88

[@Smido83]

Yeah... Kidds fault that noone could make an open 3 in the 1st and that the Clippers made every highly contested 3... If you blame Kidd for that, you have to also praise him for the 32 point comeback. Are you? I give you the 4th quater defense to a degree. But that PG 3 was just a lucky shot. Once again, perfectly defended... but thats what broke us. It took the energy completely out of the team. You could just see it!

[@psmejc]

Yes, Luka didn't has a good game. But Kyrie was not even existent for a quarter and a half! All he did was loosing balls. Mavs need him from the beginning.

[@IsraelNguz]

@@psmejc what ? Did you watch the game ?? 😭 He goes on in the second quarter, what are you talking about ? He let Luka play in the first...

[@jeshely]

The best possible thing about the Mavs getting eliminated by Clippers in the first round is that it will be the perfect excuse for getting rid of JKidd and bringing in someone who’s offensive playbook is more than “Luka is the plan”.

[@jeshely]

@@degengam2781 Anyone who can run anything other than ISOs or keep people just standing on corner 3’s. Also anyone that know to create better schemes for bigs. Not playing our bigs in the 4th after they were instrumental in the 3rd was just ridiculous

[@imdbtruth]

Luka played 45 minutes and was +10 in a game they lost by 5. Even mediocre Luka was getting it done in his minutes.

[@imdbtruth]

In their 2 losses, Luka rested for a total of 6 minutes that mattered, and those 6 minutes the Mavs were outscored by 27 points! Luka was +3 in game 1 that they lost by 12, and he was +10 in game 4 and they lost by 5 points. If Luka's not on the floor, they're still effed, even with Kyrie out there.

[@is0morph]

If Harden misses, say, 2/6 of his tough lefty floaters (reasonable) to close the game or PG doesn't drain that incredibly well contested 3 over DJJ, we go up 3-1 and y'all are talking about the Mavs threepeating and how they're the most clutch game in the history of the universe. And I'm not saying it was bad luck at all, but let's not super overreact just based on outcome. The Clippers had an insane shooting night, Mavs showed mental toughness and rallied back (arguably the better team for most of the game), and it came down to the wire. What more do you want? I find this much less demoralizing than the deflated game 1 showing. Kudos to Harden btw, didn't think he had it in him.

[@Smido83]

Exactly... the first 15 minutes were dogshit. Thats what we should criticise the team for. Not the last view minutes, or if a true big shouldve been out there in the 4th... How the hell did we get 31 points behind in like 15 minutes? Everything after that was good, partially even great! But how can the team be so flat to start a game? That happened twice now... we should talk about that, nothing else!

[@sicem8008]

The Holes camp green lake reference was hilarious

[@jnmc2498]

Luka shooting 26.5% on 12.3 3 pts attempts per game is hurting the team

[@PrimoPete]

Doesn't matter. Luka was 21.4% when Mavs won the last game. Luka's an important part of the team, but he's still just ONE GUY. It was all Kidd's fault, both games were lost when Kidd played small ball, prioritizing Kleber over Gafford and DLive. Look up their timings, whenever Kleber plays more than Gafford and DLive, Mavs lose. It's Kidd's obsession with experimenting with small ball that kills Mavs. Kidd didn't play Gafford and DLive as much as Kleber. So, Luka got in foul trouble coz there weren't enough bigs to support him in defence and he had to back off and Clippers ran through them. Kidd, that's the culprit.

[@jnmc2498]

@@PrimoPete That’s one game… It’s not going to work in a 7 game series against good teams.

[@PrimoPete]

@@jnmc2498 of course it didn't work, coz Kidd forgot about Gafford and DLive. Bro is in love with small ball.

[@pfunk42]

@@PrimoPete They won in spite of Luka not because of him

[@kcp1760]

That iconic kyrie finish over 4 dudes in the 4th lmao. I thought maxi was stretching the floor? He isn't btw dude is always open for the 3...

[@rodwave5257]

Luka had a rest before playoffs and still broke down so young. This is not good

[@C_los78]

Luka needs to get into better shape. He doesn’t dunk anymore. Dudes only 25. The way he’s going, he won’t last 5 more years.

[@Corkie0000]

“Luka spent too much time posting up.” Said no-one.

[@jenaerowe3309]

That was a crazy game!

[@aren_gee]

In today's NBA, you can be the best defending team in the league, but if you can't shoot the rock, then it won't matter. At the end of the day, overwhelming offense beats elite defense. Those who said that defense wins championships lied to you. You don't see someone averaging 10 blocks or steals per game but you see someone taking 3s 5 times and that's all you need to win. It's even worse if someone else in that same team is doing the same thing then its 30 points you need to overcome, and no amount of suffocating defense can overcome that, specially if you get called for a foul just by flicking someone's arm or you get kicked while contesting. If you can't score, you can't win, and basketball is all about scoring in today's NBA, and that's just the harsh truth.

[@emjaay80]

Luka’s offence is a problem but then the shooting of other players was also criminal. Uncontested shooting in the first quarter Thanks to great assists from LuKai

[@Rromansanturio]

My 3 big questions are: Luka’s health, Exum and Gaff

[@Smido83]

I am most shocked about Exum... we need him to give Luka/Kyrie at least some minutes of rest. But I dont know... he isnt there.

[@Veedub112]

My thoughts, all the basketball Luka plays in the offseason with no breaks might be a main reason why he is fatigued. The guy never takes a break from hooping . Let’s hope I am wrong . The Maxi minutes are blowing my mind. I’ve been screaming to let this guy go but he remains on the roster . We need production man .

[@user-rv7sg5sp4z]

No mention on luka's sunk shooting percentages with the same volume

[@takuid]

Nick the stan and Egregiously biased don't talk about that....sshhh..."There is no war in Ba Sing Se"

[@alexcamp9320]

Will they dare put the ball in Kyrie’s hands earlier on? And maybe cut Luka’s minutes a little? As well as keeping Lively in when he’s a literal defensive wall.

[@scoutGOW]

The PG contested 3 from the far corner with 2 minutes on the clock broke my heart 💔. Guy was on a tear.

[@aidenross8746]

The ONE MORE THING KING!!!

[@ireqsavagevocaldinosaur5795]

Luka looks hurt man, the hesitation in the lane, not pulling the trigger on open 3s, the foul trouble …. Sigh

[@aynemoto4u]

as always this was the true color of the Mavs...living and dying in 3's and no plan B.. hope in game 5 JKidd makes the necessary adjustment else this series will end on game 6.

[@aynemoto4u]

Hope they prove me wrong mate...peace ✌️

[@alesbarle2293]

Of course we got this

[@cuatroCuart0]

It's a bit concerning how luka has been looking this series. Part of it is most certainly the defense Terrance Mann has been playing, but the body language and the frustration that is shown has been something I'm personally disappointed by.

[@jimmygreer2140]

I see a lot of people crying about Luka's D. Bruh, what did you expect when he had 2 fouls after 2 minutes? Or had 5 fouls for like the last 6-8 minutes? Without Luka on offense the Clippers would've immediately blitzed Kai and where would the offense come from? Kidd blew it in the 4th. That small ball lineup did really great getting the lead towards the end. But at that point, get Gaff or Lively out there to protect the paint!!! But nooooo, Kidd just allowed Harden to hit like 4-6 floater/layups. It didn't help that the refs were pretty awful too. I thought I saw the Clippers with 2 8 second calls....1 for sure. Mann should have a flagrant for grabbing Luka's ankle...that's not a basketball move. Should've been an offensive foul on Westbitch for smaking Maxi in the face & drawing blood. And the refs falling for Harden's flopping. That pathetic B was acting like everyone was hitting him in the face when they weren't & he was getting away with it.

[@phased7s]

GAME IS FIXED. REFS ALSO ALLOWING THUG FOULS AGAINST LUKA THATS HURTING HIM.

[@jj00100]

Kidd didn’t do anything wrong. Stop making excuses. Luka been selfish and playing bad even before playoffs. 2nd- mavs took the lead with 2min left 4th quarter so your bs assessment makes no sense. Y’all just think yall know ball and yall just need to stick to cheerleading for Luka as he sabotages the team

[@jimmygreer2140]

@@jj00100 Whatever Coomer

[@jimmygreer2140]

@jj00100 sure, bud. Look at what happened when he kept Maxi at the 4. A 30 point win.

[@sebastijanp3]

I do not think I remember Luka being so out of shape as now. He is walking 10cm steps, he cannot move. It is just terrible to watch.

[@walkrwalkr3622]

After my claim that it’s time for the young stars (ANT, Luka and SGA) to shine and the old guards to take a back seat …. Then Lebron, AD, PG, Harden and Kyrie show me how wrong I was… at least Ant is shining … hoping SGA does well tomorrow.

[@PLH1]

Mavs going without a true center, giving up drives and floaters down the stretch was frustrating. Love Maxi, but he’s best alongside a center and PJ at the 3. All the offensive lobs are also gone for the Mavs when small.

[@seanwarner9893]

If Luka is really hurt that bad to where he can't shoot, defend, or hustle, then he shouldn't be playing. Really hoping he can at least show some more effort (I type from my couch lol)

[@MASTAdondaMASTADON]

The one more thing king makes an appearance!!!!!!

[@brandonsantiago2298]

You guys said the clippers wouldn’t shoot 50% from 3 after game 1, that that wouldn’t happen again. Well I guess you were right cause they shot 62% from 3 now 😂

[@nikolaininkov]

They shouldn't have digged themselves into such a hole in the first place. I hope that I'll be wrong, but the way Mavs are playing, it seems to me that Clippers are the favorites in this series.

[@zinktomas8251]

The Mavericks had this game. I think Kidd actually lost us the season with his obsession with Maxi at 5. Overreaction? Maybe. Yes we were down 31, but we came back and put ourselves in a position to win while going BIG. It was just a boneheaded, stubborn decision to stick with the Maxi at center line up for 10 minutes straight

[@jwill5984]

Kidd’s greatness is on display in this series … Like, he cannot refrain from the Maxi obsession. Kidd is always making some kind of odd decision that looks more problematic than an actual solution.

[@alesbarle2293]

I would play lively and gaford from beginning just to show little bit of force

[@alesbarle2293]

Let's go on good

[@blicleak1101]

Macs are going nowhere if Luka is constantly the worst player on the floor. Can’t describe how disappointing I am in Luka. He has been absolutely disgusting.

[@letsgobrandon1906]

Yes

[@alexyoung808s6]

The “Luka is injured” excuse is getting old. He’s still starting the game jacking up bad shots. He needs to chill out with those step back 3’s.

[@icel7858]

I understand but he literally made that shot at 40 % this entire season

[@pfunk42]

@@icel7858 That's the regular season. Different story in the playoffs

[@jj00100]

@@icel7858he literally did not. Y’all just lie. He shot 38.1% . Stop the cap. KYRIE shot over 40 literally at 41.4%. Luka just chucks. 38 is literally slightly above average. He shouldn’t be shooting 10+ a game. And shouldn’t be shooting the team out the game , especially when the def he provides is fuckin terrible.

[@pervisjohnson3253]

@@icel7858yea but had not made it all series and this is the playoffs teams are actually playing tough defense

[@Lukaichampion2024]

On god didn’t u notice every time when u ask Kidd he’s laughing cuz he know Luka just want attention. He just don’t know that is those type of performance that make u a legend but since that game against phoenix is like he feel he can do everything but he have to know that in the playoffs you see players build like you and you need to show up! But he got more fat remember that 73 point game how he was more thin that dude just wanted a mvp and want to wait till next year to win in my honest opinion he don’t want it really

[@crcpnoy2k]

Hard for Luka to play good D when he gets 2 fouls before the broadcast even begins.

[@matthewbeeny3750]

Hey Nick why was there a full 60 seconds of unskippable Fabletics ads before this video

[@andycundy5822]

Please stop making excuses for Luka, this is what he was like in Game 1 and Game 3. Every time he takes those dumb step back 3s, they are basically a turnover and that gives Clippers the fuel they needed. If you shoot a few and they don’t go in, you make sure you find easier shots.

[@Dzad00]

It baffles me how many comments their are about Kidd playing Maxi in the 4th. 1) Maxi has done the best job at C in the series so far. 2) Maxi played the 4th bc of Luka. Luka was on a bad knee and in foul trouble so the Clippers were forcing him to guard Harden. Harden was obviously getting around him fairly easily which immediately put the Mavs defense in rotation. Maxi is just simply better than Lively and Gafford and rotating and recovering. Harden was killing them with 10 foot floaters (nothing at the rim). Lively and Gafford aren’t blocking that.. it’s called a giant killer for a reason.

[@imdbtruth]

Based.

[@quietlike]

Gafford and lively weren’t in at the end when harden made like 5 floaters. Kleiber needed to come up and challenge and help. Even if harden gives it up to someone else, can’t let him do it like 5 times in a row

[@Dzad00]

@@quietlike I agree with what you said but that still doesn’t mean that he wasn’t the right choice for the situation.

[@threestacks]

Isaac said exactly what I was thinking the whole game. 100 percent accurate. They kept stepping back every time he went in for the floater.

[@duty-bounddead6788]

This series is shaping up to be an all time classic. Sucks that we didn’t win but man I love playoff basketball. Hopefully we can take game 5

[@SinaSoh]

MFFL, 2nd Mavs playoff game that I will not be watching on TV. I’ll be there in person for game 5. (1st was GM 3 2011 WCF at OKC due to a wedding)

[@duty-bounddead6788]

@@SinaSohNice. Have fun at the game. Biggest game of the year so far.

[@connor_phillipz5689]

Luka playing well below his standards (injuries or not it's just true) and Kidd getting destroyed by Ty Lue in the coaching matchup are the main reasons we lost.

[@suprcrzy]

Not sure why you wouldn't double harden as soon as he crossed half court. Make PG or Mann run the offense. Especially with no bigs/rim protection in the game. Not sure wth Kidd was thinking

[@rikolai22]

He said he wanted to give up "contested" 2s instead of 3s. The reality is you don't want to give up anything with 3 minutes left and a tie game. He always reverts to small ball and he's willing to lose his job over it

[@andreslancheros2863]

As a clippers fan please keep Luka in harden. He gets a shot or pass of every time it’s just free possessions at this point

[@howardcarmichael2024]

Luka guarding harden on bad knee

[@iremainunimpressed1589]

Double is unnecessary.. Kyrie is locking harden so why does kiddd not run that defense

[@andreslancheros2863]

@@iremainunimpressed1589 locking is wild. However he’s the least trash defender for sure

[@JCC41985]

Nick slipped a “Holes” reference in there. Can always count on him for obscure childhood movie references! Go Nick!

[@bryanblackburn9673]

those Harden floaters and shots inside all happened with Lively on the bench

[@iamdaillest24]

Mavs let Kyrie down. They ruined his masterclass game. This dealt Kyrie a massive emotional and physical blow. I dont know how he is going to perform next game smh

[@peggymoexd]

man I really thought they would come back. This one hurt. PG and Harden can really knock em down

[@Emilypereira7]

Locked on clips >>>

[@flingstrike8893]

I think we benefit from this becoming a long playoff series for two reasons. 1. The age of many of the clippers stars. Three of their good players are around 35 years old. Playing a long playoff series like this is very physically demanding and as good as these old players are, playing 6-7 evenly matched games over the span of two weeks is definitely going to take a toll on their performance. 2. The Kawhi situation. Even if Kawhi feels healthy enough to play I think the situation now is fucking with their heads a bit. On the one hand its absurd not to play a star like him if he is healthy enough to play but on the other hand they have won both games when they are without him and lost both games he was in the game so I think they are going to struggle a bit with this decision. Just what I think, but I may be wrong.

[@benoz9303]

Mavs needs to start Lively for game 5. Gafford has been getting destroyed by Zubac, and his rim pressure is not as good as Lively's. Exum has been a huge disappointment. You would think he could give Kyrie and Luka a breather, but he can't, and his defense hasn't been good enough either. If that's the case, THJ is going to have to get Exum minutes because at least he will shoot with confidence and, when hitting, can provide an offensive spark. If defense is needed, then Green will be the move. Finally, to start the games, the offense has to flow through Kyrie. Especially if Luka is not feeling like himself. I think this way it helps Luka to get a feel for the game and get him in rhythm late in game.

[@oliverjason]

I was in 115 and was going to come say hi after the game but since we weren't letting it ride, I just went home. By the 2nd quarter, I was ready to go home but it turned into an exciting game. I don't like blaming Luka because Luka carries the load but he was so ineffecient tonight.

[@ErkinZahedi]

That was an absolutely horrible coaching job during the 4th. James Harden was scoring a million points by spamming the same move over and over and over again, yet no adjustments whatsoever from the coaching staff. Also, I love Luka but somebody should hold him accountable, him dribbling the ball for 20 seconds and then passing when he can't get a basket for himself isn't good offense. It's so easy to defend against them, cause it's only Luka and Kai and the others are standing there like traffic cones. I hate to be that guy, but the Mavs are not winning anything with Kidd as HC.

[@samancegroupfinancials363]

SO, already u r downgrading what kyrie has done!! thanks man

[@CrystalCanyon100]

I wonder what Nico thinks of the coaching decisions.

[@martinh5182]

The downward spiral in the first quarter seemed to really start when, unlike the previous game, Kidd decided NOT to challenge an obvious out of bounds bad call (off Westbrook’s leg) against the Mavericks. At the very end of the game, Luka needs to be able to make free throws (he uncharacteristically missed two in a row) and if he has a wide open shot within a few feet right in front of the basket, he needs to take it (when he didn’t take it and another wide open three pointer at the end of the game I thought to myself, uh-oh, Luka must really be hurting) - saw Brunson in the previous game and he turned and made a very similar shot that was instrumental in winning that game. Hopefully, Luka will somehow heal enough before the next game.

[@morriscastillo9587]

Slighty already said it in his stream. Luka has to be better. HAS TO! HAS TO! HAS TO!

[@dhay03]

This is one of those games you tip your hat to PG and Harden. The difficulty of those makes were off the chart. I think they need to run through Kyrie much sooner than later if Luka shot is not falling. That’s when they started to get in sync offensively including Luka. Luka couldn’t play defense in the fourth because he had 5 fouls which two of them were very ticky tacky 7:27 . But yes, his shooting is very concerning

[@TheHappyWhale]

Kinda weird that I'm hoping they play Kawhi the rest of this series lol

[@houndsviking591]

When we was up by 1 with 2:05 left and clippers call time out I was really praying Kidd would have send a defense line up to get a stop and then bring back Luka in smh . Green djj Pj maxi and Dlive to get us one stop . I know George hit a crazy 3 but is those little things I wish Kidd would do.

[@threestacks]

Also, mentally it's very hard to turn around a 31 point deficit and still have something left in the tank to finish off. Good fight Mavs but they cannot be allowed to get that far in front.

[@BigtunaG]

If Luka is hurt then maybe don’t shoot the team out the game? Focus on being play maker vs shooting all those 3s. Play more off ball for scoring

[@adambentham2619]

He has to shoot to keep the defense honest and also because other than Kyrie there aren't a lot of people shooting with confidence and if he is injured how on earth is he going to be able to play off-ball ??

[@Thomasfrommygirl]

Look at Lukas plus minus

[@imdbtruth]

Luka was +10 in 45 minutes... Maybe if Kyrie didn't go -15 in only three minutes without Luka out there. It was the same story in game 1, -12 in 3 minutes without Luka. We need Luka to shoot 50% like he normally does, but it's definitely not all on him.

[@BigtunaG]

@@adambentham2619 that’s not true he has to shoot to keep the defense honest. He does that because it helps his style of play for driving/passing. The Mavs have a 70% losing record when Luka shoots 30% from the 3s. Why do they lose those games? Because the opposing team can pick on Luka get easy fast breaks off those missed 3s and then tire him out. Luka if he instead focused on being a facilitator and mid range then look for 3 point shots off ball would be more effective when his shot is not falling. They literally did that during the season run plays for Luka for off ball 3s and he shot 40% on those shots.

[@James_utd123]

@@adambentham2619The problem is that he’s shooting 38 % from the field on 26 shots like he’s almost having more shots than points. But the worse thing Luka is doing is thinking he’s 2016 Steph Curry why is he shooting 12 3s a game when he’s 23% for the series. 😭😭 if this was any other player you would say there shooting there team out the series. If Luka plays better and we are up 3-1 are potentially sweep them

[@RehanX44]

4:00 can you explain to me how his bad knee is impacting his decision making?

[@coltonlawhorn5170]

As a clippers fan, one adjustment by replacing Maxi @ the 5spot could of been the difference

[@scoutGOW]

I wasn’t happy with us going for 3s early in the game. We were down by 9 and the team seemed to only go for 3s while none of them dropped. I feel like the 3s will come if you start scoring some 2s and get comfortable.

[@9chalantmusic227]

Yall say yall wish Kai was aggressive from the tip, impossible when Luka comes out gunning every 1st quarter.

[@jesseshaw4495]

I agree 💯

[@scoutGOW]

Stat wise Luka usually goes off early in a game and Kai goes off late. I’m pretty sure 4th quarter Kai was a thing before he came to the Mavs.

[@Someguy8822]

The way Kyrie plays and the energy it requires is not sustainable for an entire game, we need a Luka to not suck and play like he used to play.

[@imdbtruth]

Whatever... he can't wait until they're literally down 30 before he gets motivated. And I'm not trying to talk shit about Kyrie, but he benefits greatly from Luka playing the way he does. In the 2 games the Mavericks lost, Luka rested for a total of 5-6 minutes that mattered, and in those 6 minutes Luka was resting the Mavericks are a combined -27, in 6 minutes! Luka played almost the whole game in game 1 and they lost by 12, but Luka was a +3, while Kyrie was -9. Luka again played 45 minutes in game 4 and they lost by 5, Luka was a +10! Luka rested for 3 minutes and they lost those 3 minutes by -15 points!

[@iykyk8736]

@@imdbtruthyall can’t call him the mvp but the. Act like kyrie has to match what he’s does kyrie does more thrn Enough every game

[@vernvartdal6479]

PG and James Harden haven't played a game like that in 10 years. That's what it took to overcome our will.

[@quietlike]

Mavs need to get closer jumpers and layups to start the game to get rhythm. They need to see the ball go in a few times before they can rain threes. They get confidence. Its cool to try at the beginning if they’re giving them to you, but if they are missing, they need to attack the rim and at least get fouled

[@BenevolentCodeHuwa]

this aint rocket science...Luca-ball is for the fans in the regular season...sometimes....i guess...but in the playoffs it won't work....give Kyrie the damn ball...the team plays together when Kyrie leads them...as opposed to waiting with your hands on your hips to see if Luca will pass u the damn ball....narratives and super egos gotta go!

[@user-ff5my6nd8y]

Luka should be more decisive. He could take a lot floaters all series long, but he chooses to stop at the midrange which gives the defender chances to recover. Also, he should take more midrange instead of stepback 3s since stepback 3s just need more legs.

[@user-bs8zt2gq1p]

First Kudos to PG & Hardin you 2 destroyed us which we can live with. But Zubac and Plummer killing Gafford and Liv not expected. Who would have thought Luka could go 1 for 8 from 3 point line. And Irving would have 7 turnovers. Now for Kidd once we tied the score and we think Maxi is our best rim protector late in the game and we have Luka guarding Hardin???? Now to think that Luka and Irving actually outscored George and Hardin but their bench outscored ours 22 to 13. Great comeback but couldn't finish the job. Irving great but no points in first qtr. and 7 turnovers. But damn George and Hardin made some tough shots especially from 3 point line. Luka if hurt? Sit him.

[@howardcarmichael2024]

Sit him??? then make Kyrie pass to who? Who's shooting & making

[@deanoost9599]

Not that it would have helped, but just out of curiosity....what happened to THJ? Injured?

[@shawngay6533]

The Clippers' lights out three point shooting was just too much to overcome.

[@Thomasfrommygirl]

And totally not sustainable. Feels like the Clips have to play AMAZING or they lose

[@infinitexvii1749]

And they’re not going to shoot like this again , well at least 3 games straight , Mavs will be fine

[@user-mg5hk1ts3w]

If the kawhi from the regular season plays this whole series how do y’all think that goes for you? This mavs team isn’t half as good as y’all think they are

[@RamRam-tu4is]

Lively

[@chunkymay1650]

Get Luka some Vitamin C 😢

[@cryptidian3530]

It feels like 2022 all over again in the sense that our role players are expected to play above their pay grade in order for us to win games. And also, Kidd is allergic to proper end game rotations.

[@RD-xp3pd]

There is no excuse to go down 31. They looked like a different Team at the start of the game,just standing around without any offensive scheme. There was no pace at all. With so many athletic players you should play way faster. Luka should have 15 assists a game if he cant shoot the Ball.

[@Hymanroff]

Mavs scored 50 or so by half time. That's normal. The Clippers scored about 65 by half time. They couldn't miss.

[@clubdrunkify]

No early lead and this would not happen. These blowout 1st quarters are abnormal. Can't let it happen again. Best of three series now. I still think Mavs are now the superior team as Clippers aren't full strength anymore, but it's going to be tough

[@JessieG16]

Plz play lively more plz!

[@ryansatchell2302]

I just don’t understand the reason for the slow starts. No Kawhi, PG and Harden will come out swinging because they know that’s their only chance. Let’s go man! No more slow starts

[@joseph.ant_xx303]

Yes or no, is Luka the only overweight player in these playoffs? Yes, is Luka the worst three-point shooter in these playoffs? yes, the clippers are going to eliminate the mavs from these playoffs?, yes.

[@wolfgangsperber7894]

105:104->105:107. That insane 3 out of the corner. You didn't even mention it....

[@kingsoindabuildin8036]

Hi isaac