“Luka not built for big moments” – Luka Doncic’s Mavs miss 11 free throws to face disaster defeat at home as OKC tie series 2-2

Dallas Mavericks go back on the road for Game 5 with the series tied 2-2.

“Luka not built for big moments” – Luka Doncic’s Mavs miss 11 free throws to face disaster defeat at home as OKC tie series 2-2

Fans rip Luka Doncic and his Dallas Mavericks teammates after free throws cost them the playoff game against Oklahoma City Thunder

For the Dallas Mavericks, everything was going well for them. Winning Game 2 on the road started a momentum that won Game 3.

That momentum also was evident in today’s Game 4, but only until five minutes were left in the game. Luka Doncic and his teammates proceeded to miss 11 free throw attempts to lose the game and allow the Oklahoma City Thunder to tie the playoff series 2-2.

As the game winded down to the final few minutes, a stat was displayed on the screen. The Dallas Mavericks had not scored a single point for three straight minutes. The Oklahoma City Thunder took advantage of that by taking the lead.

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However, the Mavericks battled back to make it a two-point game. With 10 seconds to go, Luka Doncic received free throws after he was fouled on his way to the basket. He missed one. PJ Washington had another chance to draw the game closer and missed the first.

Overall, it became the theme of the game. The Mavericks as a team shot 76% from the line during the regular season. In tonight’s game, it was 52%. Out of those 11 missed free throws, had they shot their usual percentage, they would have won the game by a couple of points.

It also showed another weak side of the Dallas Mavericks. They need their two leading superstars to have at least a half decent performance from both of them. All of these woes compounded to hand them the loss.

Fans bash Luka Doncic and his teammates’ no-show at the line

Free throws are crucial in the playoffs. They help a team recover from a deficit or allow them to extend a lead. It also helps teams get short moments of rest. However, when one does not take advantage of that, it is bound to go against them. Basketball fans watching from home or on the court knew that the free throws cost the Dallas Mavericks the game.

Armed with this information, they jumped on to social media to call the Mavericks out. Check out some of those reactions below:

If the Dallas Mavericks are to win this playoff series, they need to get all aspects of a game going well. Otherwise, they will have a tough task to try for the NBA Championship.

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