Boston’s strategy when they have the ball in the middle of the court is to focus on finding Luka Doncic and making him defend.
This approach caused Doncic to get into trouble with fouls during Wednesday night’s game. He made a couple of unnecessary fouls, especially the one in the third quarter where he reached in, which was a bad choice. Then, in the fourth quarter, a couple of calls didn’t go his way, and he ended up fouling out. This happened during a period when Dallas was on a 20-2 scoring streak, turning a 21-point lead for Boston into just three points. After Doncic fouled out, the Mavericks struggled to create enough offense, leading to their loss and a 0-3 deficit in the series.
Doncic commented on his sixth foul, expressing frustration at being sidelined with six fouls in such an important game. He felt it was unfair. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd acknowledged that Doncic is a prime target for the opposing team and emphasized the need for him to defend better, with the team ready to support him if he needs help.
Analyzing all six fouls called on Doncic, Mavericks fans may disagree with the sixth one, but it was a close call. Jaylen Brown initiated the contact, although Doncic wasn’t in a legal guarding position. The fifth foul was also debatable, as Doncic pushed and tripped Brown, but Brown also hooked him with his arm.
Doncic’s own actions contributed to his foul trouble, such as reaching in from behind on Payton Pritchard and fouling Derrick White in the backcourt. Additionally, he sometimes reacted poorly to no-calls by officials, delaying his return to defense, which gave Boston an advantage.
Looking ahead to Game 4, Doncic may receive some leniency on borderline calls, but for Dallas to succeed, he needs to improve defensively. He will likely continue to be targeted by Boston and must step up to prevent another large deficit. While his fouling out halted a potential comeback in the previous game, the bigger issue may be the team’s reliance on such comebacks.
For there to be a Game 5, Doncic must defend more effectively and avoid foul trouble, while also receiving better support from his teammates.