DALLAS — On the one hand, Luka Doncic won another big-time showdown late Friday night, outscoring Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo 33-28. That continued a trend that has the 23-year-old hunting an MVP trophy.
Then there was that other trend that continued, the one that cost Dallas another basketball game.
The Mavericks shot 10-for-24 at the foul line — hideous by high school standards — and that included missing their last six in the fourth quarter to lose to Milwaukee, 106-105. Giannis even fouled out with 2:55 to play, delighting most of the crowd of 20,277 right up until the moment that Tim Hardaway Jr. missed all three free throws.
In the Mavericks’ last six losses, they have missed 60 free throws and shot 58% from the foul line. If Don Nelson was on the visitors’ bench, he would hack-a-Shaq this entire Maverick roster.
And it’s the only area where Doncic is not up to MVP standards. He was 4-for-10 at the foul line Friday, joining his teammates in leaving free points on the floor.
”We had this game in our pocket,’’ Doncic said. “We’ve got to make our free throws. I’ve got to do better, I’ve got to set a tone for my teammates.’’
In virtually every other way possible this season, Luka is doing exactly that. And that’s in spite of Dallas’ 13-12 record which now includes three losses to the Bucks and Celtics, the league’s top two teams.
The grind of the 82-game NBA season includes numerous challenges, not the least of which was one that had the Mavericks tipping off after 9 p.m. here Friday night (9:12 to be precise) before taking on the Bulls in Chicago at 7 Saturday. “I understand TV comes first and they pay the bills,’’ Coach Jason Kidd said before the Bucks’ game. “But this isn’t right.’’
The schedule offers difficulties that produce memorable moments, too. And this latest stretch has been one more indicator that while the Mavericks have plenty left to prove before hanging a second championship banners in the AAC rafters, Doncic is clearing every hurdle in his personal chase.
In the span of 10 days (and a couple of hours), Doncic squared off against all manner of MVP’s — one from last year’s Finals, one from the last two regular seasons and one from the previous two regular seasons. Along with that, let’s throw in the No. 1 seed in the West both last season and when the team came to town Monday. So how did Doncic do against Golden State’s Steph Curry, Phoenix’s Devin Booker, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and, finally, the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Check, check, check and, well, almost.
It went something like this.
Nov. 29 — Mavs beat Warriors 116-113. Luka outscores Steph, 41-32 and throws in a triple double for good measure (41-12-12). Doncic is plus-22 while on the floor. Curry is a minus-12.
Monday — Mavs beat Suns 130-111. Luka outscores Booker, 33-11, shoots 60% and is plus-2 to Booker’s 31% and minus-18. The Suns fall behind New Orleans for the top spot in the West.
Tuesday — On a tough back-to-back, the Mavs win 116-115 in Denver. Luka does not have his usual 30-point night but manages another triple double (22-10-12) and outscores Nikola Jokic, 22-19.
Friday — Mavs fall 106-105 although Luka goes for 33-6-11 and has a magical third quarter that nearly put the game away. He scored nine points and produced seven assists -- four on three-point shots — to contribute on 27 of Dallas’ 36 points in the period.
Then things unraveled in the fourth quarter, first when Doncic was on the bench and then at the foul line where this team has found no cures for its poor uncontested shooting.
Fix those 15-foot shots and then suddenly Luka’s run of dominance against the league’s best can mean something.
Since the Mavs’ Kidd spent nearly four seasons coaching Milwaukee, he has seen Giannis and Luka up close far more than any coach in the league. His assessment:
”Very close. Their appetite to compete, to win is very high. Basketball IQ very close. When you’re talking about MVP, impact on the game, both teams are built around these guys. So very close.’’
While their games are far apart — Giannis running over and overpowering opponents while Luka is more likely to undress and embarrass them — their scoring skills are almost shockingly similar. Entering Friday’s game, the Mavs were scoring 1.135 points for every field goal Luka takes. The Bucks were averaging 1.132 for every Giannis shot.
Those are solid totals, by the way. The Bucks are fighting Boston for best record in the NBA, and Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum is getting 1.122 points for every field goal attempt.
In the Mavericks’ first meeting with Boston just over two weeks ago, Dallas came up short but Doncic did not, outscoring Tatum, 42-37 and flirting with yet another triple double (42-8-9). To say Luka is rising to the occasion in his fifth NBA season is selling him short. He’s playing like the MVP of the 2022-23 season. Or at least he will when he makes more than 75% of his free throws.
