Dallas, TX
Mavericks’ Luka Doncic addresses his health, knee soreness after Game 4 vs. Clippers
Hobbled by an unspecified right knee injury, Mavericks’ Luka Doncic clearly hasn’t been his usual dominant self in this first-round playoffs series — not up to his standards in past games against the Clippers, regular-season and playoffs.
After Los Angeles’ 116-111 victory on Sunday afternoon in American Airlines Center, tying the series at 2-2, Doncic’s drop-off is most glaringly reflected in his statistics. He shooting 38.6% from the field, including of 13-of-49 (26.5%) on 3-pointers.
It’s clear Doncic’s defensive falloff since he sustained the knee injury during the first quarter of Game 3. Doncic was whistled for two fouls in the first 2:23 of Game 4 as he struggled to stay in front of Clippers attackers, a pattern that continued through the game as Los Angeles hunted him.
“It’s hurting, obviously, but it shouldn’t be an excuse, man,” Doncic said. “We just came out a little sloppy. We’ve got to do way better than that.”
It might seem like quibbling after a game in which Doncic had a triple-double — 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. But anyone who has watched Doncic throughout his career, this season especially, knows he isn’t his usual self.
On Sunday he shot 10-of-24 from the field, including 1-of-9 on 3-pointers.
When asked specifically about his ability to move laterally and how that affects his defense, Doncic acknowledged it’s a problem. He was assigned to guard Amir Coffey, but Clippers star James Harden hunted Doncic in pick-and-rolls.
“I mean, yeah, I was in foul trouble,” Doncic said. “We said we wanted to try to limit Harden’s 3s. I was just trying not to give him 3s. Obviously, it wasn’t good, especially me.”
Doncic not being himself is also reflected in his postgame interviews following Games 3 and 4. Doncic’s voice is raspy and he sounds congested. After Game 4, he was asked whether the congestion makes it harder to breathe during games, thus affecting his energy level.
“It’s nothing,” he said. “We lost the game. Like I said before, for the knee, it shouldn’t be an excuse. I’m out there trying to play, trying to play a lot of minutes, trying to play hard. But sometimes you don’t have the perfect situation. So you’ve just got to go through it and do better.”
As Doncic noted, the Mavericks still not only rallied from a 31-point deficit but took a 105-104 lead on Kyrie Irving’s driving layup with 2:15 left. Irving scored 40 points, all of them after the first quarter.
“I have to help him more,” Doncic said. “I feel like I am letting him down so I have to be there. I have to help him more. He’s giving everything that he has. He’s been amazing for us the whole series.”
Twitter: @townbrad
Photos: Mavericks fall to Clippers in Game 4 in Dallas
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Ex-Dallas Stars Goalie Signs Try-Out With New Jersey DevilsOver the past several years, the Dallas Stars have put an emphasis on signing undrafted free agents, including between the pipes. Names like Landon Bow, Matt Murray and most recently prospect Ben Kraws are just some of the undrafted goaltenders the Stars signed to their system over the past decade.
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US President Donald Trump has strongly condemned the beheading of an Indian-origin hotel manager allegedly by a Cuban illegal immigrant in Dallas last week.
“The time for being soft on these Illegal Immigrant Criminals is OVER under my watch,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah, 50, was attacked with a machete by his co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez in front of his wife and child, following a heated argument over a broken washing machine. The accused, who is now in custody, has been charged with murder.
Trump has long vowed tougher enforcement against undocumented migrants, making it a central plank of his policy.
Trump said Mr Cobos-Martinez “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent” of the law and will be “charged with murder in the first degree”.
He also criticised the Biden administration in his post saying Mr Cobos-Martinez was previously arrested for several crimes, including alleged child abuse, but was “released back into society because Cuba declined to accept his return”.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Mr Cobos-Martinez is an undocumented immigrant, with a final order of removal from the US.
The department claims he was in custody at a detention center in Dallas but was released on an order of supervision in January after Cuba “would not accept him because of his criminal history”.
Nagamallaiah, who belonged to the southern Indian state of Karnataka, worked at the Downtown Suites Motel in Dallas.
He went to school and college in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru before moving to the US in 2018. His son graduated high school recently and is preparing to begin college, according to a news report on NDTV news channel.
The assault took place on 10 September. The police said they received a “stabbing” call and a preliminary investigation determined that Mr Cobos-Martinez had cut the victim with an edged weapon several times.
He then reportedly kicked the head of the victim “around like a soccer ball”, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged Mr Cobos-Martinez with the Dallas County Jail, where he is being held.
Nagamallaiah’s funeral was held on 13 September in Flower Mound, Texas, and was attended by family and friends.
A fundraiser launched to support his family has raised more than $321,000 (£2,36,723), according to news agency PTI.
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The Dallas Cowboys are putting their salary cap space to full use.
After trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, they were able to extend DaRon Bland and Tyler Smith. They tied up $180 million in salary on those two players alone, but they’re not the only ones who landed new deals this year.
MORE: Cowboys insider reveals main holdup in deal with Jadeveon Clowney
Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones agreed to terms with defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa before the start of free agency. He also gave extensions to receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin, fullback Hunter Luepke and tight end Jake Ferguson.
This sudden trend of getting ahead of free agency is like a breath of fresh air, and they might not be done. Dallas has several other players set for free agency and could look to continue locking up their core players.
The top two platers set for free agency are wide receiver George Pickens and kicker Brandon Aubrey. Initially, Pickens seems like the player who should be extended since he plays a skill position and is going to be an unrestricted free agent.
Aubrey, however, is going to be a restricted free agent. While that gives Dallas more security, he’s still the player they should extend first.
Now in his third season, Aubrey has connected on 78-of-87 field goals and is 25-of-28 from 50-plus yards. Kickers might not typically land lucrative deals, but Aubrey is far from typical. He’s a weapon who has bailed the offense out multiple times.
For that reason, he should be the player Jones sits down with next.
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