HOUSTON _ For one of the few times since his rookie season began four months ago, Luka Doncic looked tired Monday night _ and sounded even more so.
One night after overcoming a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Portland at home, the Mavericks and Doncic sputtered for stretches during Monday night's 120-104 loss to Houston at Toyota Center.
Of course, the opponent had a lot to do with that _ the Rockets (33-23) and James Harden continuing his otherworldly season, though he needed a late spree to stretch his streak of 30-plus point games to 30.
Doncic didn't come right out and hint that he's nearing the NBA rookie wall, with just one game remaining until the All-Star break, but here's how he responded to a question about whether the season is wearing on him:
"It's a little bit," he said. "It's different from in Europe, a tough season. I had a long season last year, so it's getting a little bit tougher."
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Doncic, coming off a 28-point, 9-rebound, 6-assist performance against Portland, finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists against the Rockets _ but he scored only seven points in the second half and two in the fourth quarter.
The Rockets and particularly P.J. Tucker played more physically against Doncic as the game progressed, just the latest Dallas opponent to do so.
"They've done it before, so I'm cool with it," Doncic said. "I knew it was going to happen."
This was a matchup of the NBA's King of the Stepback 3-pointer, Harden, and the precocious Prince of the Stepback, Doncic.
Except perhaps the Mavericks and Rockets have seen their stepback juggernauts take and make so many of them this season that they have learned a few things about how to defend those shots.
Harden only made 6 of his 17 3-point attempts Monday, while Doncic went 2 for 9.
As Carlisle said of Harden, "He's playing a different game than the rest of us are playing. It's really an amazing phenomenon to watch."
Coming off an MVP season in which he averaged 30.4 points, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds, Harden somehow has taken his game to an even higher plateau.
His 36.6-point average is so far ahead of that of the NBA's second-leading scorer, New Orleans center Anthony Davis (29.0), that he's all but mathematically uncatchable.
Carlisle pointed out that entering Monday's game, Harden was averaging 40 points in the Rockets' last five victories; and 41 points in their most recent five defeats.
"The level of consistency is crazy," Carlisle said.
