DALLAS _ In the post-trades era for the Mavericks, the situation has changed for blockbuster rookie Luka Doncic.
He now carries the weight of the team on his 19-year-old shoulders. On Sunday, Doncic answered the call.
Doncic keyed a fourth-quarter comeback in which the Mavericks overcame a 15-point deficit with 9:30 remaining to defeat Portland, 102-101, at the American Airlines Center. Doncic played the entire quarter, a rarity, and had 13 points along with participating in a defense that held the Blazers to nine points in the period.
"It was one of those times where he was going to have to finish for us to have a chance," coach Rick Carlisle said. "I love the fact that he loves carrying the load. He's one of those dynamic young players that has the charisma to give his teammates confidence."
The only flaw to Doncic's performance was that he missed two shots in the final 45 seconds.
"I should have made those shots down the stretch, which I'm not happy about," said Doncic, who performed before about 100 adoring fans from his native Slovenia. "But I'm glad we got the win."
The latter miss, on a 3-pointer with 13.1 seconds remaining, gave Portland one last chance.
The Blazers, who did not take a timeout, got the ball to Damian Lillard. Dorian Finney-Smith hounded him toward the middle, and Maxi Kleber disrupted Lillard's twisting lay-up attempt and grabbed the game-ending rebound.
"Everybody knows he wants that shot at the end of the game," Finney-Smith said of Lillard. "They trust him there. It was great team defense."
Carlisle acknowledged the Mavericks are now asking much of Doncic at an early stage of his career. The final stretch of this season will prepare him for what lies ahead. If Kristaps Prozingis stays with the club and returns next year from a torn ACL, the Mavericks will go as far as he and Doncic can take them.
"There's more responsibility falling on Luka," Carlisle said. "This is an important stretch to feel what it's all about and what it feels like and what it feels like to have to delivery in all these different areas. He's certainly capable of doing it.
"We've got to prepare him to carry this load going forward."
There are still moments when Doncic plays like a wild-horse rookie. Carlisle pulled him twice from this game after taking low-percentage 3-point shots. Through three quarters, Doncic was 4 for 11 from the field, including 2 for 6 on 3-pointers.
"Sometimes, he needs to be reminded of those things," Carlisle said. "Our job is to keep his trajectory consistently moving upward and make sure he understands the load and can carry the load."
