Name: ‘There’s a lot of things wrong right now,’ Luka Doncic says as Mavs suffer second 3-game losing streak in 10 days
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‘There’s a lot of things wrong right now,’ Luka Doncic says as Mavs suffer second 3-game losing streak in 10 days

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10:44 PM on Jan 27, 2021 CSTAt last, the Mavericks welcomed back COVID-19 victims Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Dwight Powell, but any hope of an immediate upswing quickly was doused.Or more accurately, drowned by a torrent of Jazz 3-pointers and rebounding dominance and pretty much everything else: Utah 116, Dallas 104.Perhaps instant results were too much to expect on this Wednesday night at Vivint Arena, at 4,300-foot altitude, against a potent Utah team that, even without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, easily extended its NBA-best winning streak to 10 games.Conversely, Dallas (8-10), the only team in the league that didn’t lose three straight games last season, now has its second trifecta of the wrong kind in the last ten days.“We didn’t come out with enough force, disposition, energy,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “They were great and we did not play well.”While losing six of their last eight games, the Mavericks have suffered defeats by 16 (to Chicago), 23 (to Toronto), 25 (to Houston) and on Wednesday they never led and trailed by as many as 25 points.Dallas got outrebounded 50-36 — including 30-12 in the first half, with Rudy Gobert (29 points, 20 rebounds for the game) personally outrebounding the Mavericks by one. In the last three first halves Dallas has allowed 70, 70 and 69 points.“I don’t know what to say,” responded Luka Doncic when asked “what’s wrong” regarding Dallas’ poor starts. “There’s a lot of things wrong. We’re just now ourselves right now. We’ve got to pick it up and be way better than this.”Carlisle before the game described Utah as a “tied-together, very efficient team with a high-functioning system.” In other words, pretty much the opposite of what we saw Wednesday night of a Mavericks team that in many ways is starting over.Richardson and Finney-Smith started and played 24 minutes apiece. Powell played 12 minutes off the bench. The threesome combined for 9 points on 4-of-16 shooting.“Those three guys are competitive guys, so it won’t take long to get their juices flowing,” swingman Tim Hardaway Jr said. “Collectively as a group, we haven’t played together as a whole team. We haven’t had our full roster out on the floor not one time this year.“That’s no excuse, but at the same time, it’s going to be tough. But, hey, if it was easy everybody would be doing it.”Hardaway said it was uplifting to have the threesome rejoin the Mavericks on the practice court Tuesday, fly with the team to Salt Lake City and take the court together Wednesday night.“I’m just happy that they’re healthy, especially with everything that’s going on right now with the virus,” Hardaway said. “It seems like everybody’s weakness and best defense is the virus at this point in time. If it affects your team, it shows. We’re a perfect example of that.”In time, the Mavericks are counting on reaping the benefit of getting back starters Richardson and Finney-Smith and key-reserve Powell, but on this night Utah led by 13 after one quarter, by 21 at halftime and 22 entering the fourth quarter.“We don’t have that chemistry yet that we’re looking for,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “We don’t have our roles clear. We’re just kind of out there playing. We’re a talented group, but until we have everybody playing together and having also some time off the court I think we won’t have that chemistry.”Unfortunately for the Mavericks, they “get” to face the Jazz again on Friday night in Salt Lake City as the teams play a two-game series designed to mitigate travel during the coronavirus pandemic.The Mavericks were upbeat as they took the floor Wednesday. Finally, a month and four days into the season, the Mavericks took the floor as close to the team that the franchise’s brain trust envisioned after the off-season’s roster upgrades.Finally, the Mavericks are close to whole, the exception being Maxi Kleber’s continued presence in the health and safety protocol — and coach Rick Carlisle revealed Wednesday that Kleber has cleared quarantine and could return soon after these two games in Salt City.Mavericks fans recall all too well that Dallas played this season’s first nine games without Porzingis, who was rehabbing from right knee meniscus surgery.By the time Porzingis returned, on Jan. 13, Dallas’ roster had been ravaged by COVID-19: With Richardson, Finney-Smith, Powell and Kleber contracting the virus and Jalen Brunson sidelined due to contact tracing.Wednesday was just the first step toward becoming the team Dallas showed signs of being before COVID struck, but a shaky step to say the least.What is a reasonable length of time to expect them to return to pre-COVID form?“I thought they gave what they could give,” Carlisle said. “It’s tough, but this is a beginning for them, to get back in the fold. Certainly tonight is going to be an important step to get back from a conditioning standpoint. We’ve just got to build on it from here.“The virus is so different with every person. But these three guys seem to be in a very good place, given their circumstances and when they came out of isolation and were able to begin practicing.”Rick Carlisle meets with the media following the Mavs 116-104 loss to Utah on Wednesday. — FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW)Carlisle said before the game that Kleber, along with emerging from quarantine, has started individual workouts.“His clock is ticking at a different rate because his episode was longer,” Carlisle said. “He certainly won’t play in either of these two games. Saturday I suppose could be a possibility, but I don’t know.”Carlisle said he had not received an update from director of health and performance Casey Smith, nor had he spoken to Kleber in 24 hours.“”But the hope is that sometime after this trip he’ll be able to rejoin us and get back out on the floor and play some minutes,” Carlisle said. “I just don’t know exactly when that will be.”+++Related:.Get the latest news, analysis and opinion delivered straight to your inbox.By signing up you agree to our

10:44 PM on Jan 27, 2021 CSTAt last, the Mavericks welcomed back COVID-19 victims Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Dwight Powell, but any hope of an immediate upswing quickly was doused.Or more accurately, drowned by a torrent of Jazz 3-pointers and rebounding dominance and pretty much everything else: Utah 116, Dallas 104.Perhaps instant results were too much to expect on this Wednesday night at Vivint Arena, at 4,300-foot altitude, against a potent Utah team that, even without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, easily extended its NBA-best winning streak to 10 games.Conversely,...

‘There’s a lot of things wrong right now,’ Luka Doncic says as Mavs suffer second 3-game losing streak in 10 days

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