Tuesday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans was Luka Doncic’s worst of the season, and he believes the Dallas Mavericks’ season-high 20 turnovers were partially caused by the In-Season Tournament surface.

brand-new orleans After defeating the New Orleans Pelicans handily 48 hours earlier to begin their four-game road trip, the Dallas Mavericks were given a dose of their own medicine on Tuesday night at Smoothie King Center in the second game of the Southwest Division mini-series.

In our DallasBasketball.com game preview prior to last night’s contest, we stated that the Mavs would have a strong chance of winning their ninth game of the year provided they could limit their number of turnovers. Sadly, Dallas lost 131-110 after committing a season-high 20 turnovers and giving up 31 points as a result of those giveaways.

“Yes, it was a terrible night overall,” Mavs head coach Jason Kidd remarked. “We were wounded by our defense, our intensity, and then our turnovers. Turning it over during a transition is difficult because you lose so many fast break points. Guarding it is difficult.

“Give New Orleans credit; they played with intensity and came out on stage. I believed we had already been hit by them once in the first round. That was 26 to 30. They shoot from half court. You know you’re in the game and you didn’t play well in the first but… it was all downhill from there. The score is 33 to 26.

While acknowledging that he could have been more effective in both his scoring and ball handling, Luka Doncic also acknowledged that the Mavericks’ unusual play may have been influenced by their experience playing on NBA In-Season Tournament courts.

“I mean, outside of all of the courts, I think the court today was really bad,” Doncic stated. The ball didn’t actually bounce in some spots because of how slick it was. We must ensure that these courts are solid if we are to have them.”

Doncic had a -26 in 26 minutes of play, finishing with just 16 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Similar to Sunday, Doncic sat out the fourth quarter of play, but this time it was because his side lost handily. However, the Mavs are making sure to quickly move over what transpired in New Orleans and get back into the win column heading into Wednesday’s second night of a back-to-back against the Washington Wizards.

“It occurs during the season, but it can’t be allowed to happen again. Mavs forward Grant Williams stated, “We’ve had two or three games—the three losses we’ve had—that were out of character for us.

“[The Pelicans] had a little bit more edge and played faster than we did. That club is well-known for its athleticism, and they excel at making plays in transition, making them difficult to stop. We didn’t keep them at half-court tonight, but if you do, you could have a better chance.