The Dallas Mavericks improved their position in the West, confirming a playoff berth after Luka Doncic and company beat the Rockets in a much-needed win. On the other hand, the Houston Rockets are coming off a rough stretch after losing their momentum and 11-game win streak. But this recent game against the Rockets was a tough one. The game went to overtime, with the Mavs coming on top in the end, 147-136.
During the end of the game, Doncic trash-talked Rockets head coach, Ime Udoka. Doncic is a highly competitive athlete and to talk trash to the coach was all due to the back-and-forth sequences throughout the game. Following the game Udoka reacted to Doncic’s words.
I don't understand Slovenian, so I don't know. Ime Udoka said
The coach revealed that Doncic had said some words in Slovenian that he didn’t seem to understand. The Rockets are now eliminated from playoff contention, as they’ll look to the next season. Following the game, Doncic explained why he went off at Ime Udoka at the end of the game.
Luka Doncic didn’t let Ime Udoka get away with his early talk
Luka ‘Magic’ finished the game with 37 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds. On the other hand, Kyrie Irving led the way with an amazing performance, putting up 48 points and 7 rebounds for the night. In the post-game interview, Doncic discussed the trash-talk with Ime Udoka.
He was talking to me in the first game there. So, you know I'm going to go back. Luka Doncic said
Doncic has led the team throughout the season, and when the matchups get more intense, the Slovenian isn’t scared to go at them. Now with less than five games left in the season, the Mavs seem to be a playoff team and out of the Play-In picture. Doncic’s place on the MVP ladder has improved, and as the Mavs are now probable to contend in the playoffs, Doncic’s chances of winning the MVP have increased by a lot.
It will be interesting to see how far the Dallas Mavericks go into the playoffs. Back in 2022, Dallas made its first Conference Finals appearance with Luka Doncic on the roster. They’ll look to pull the same this year, and hopefully go even further. Not only that, but the Mavs will be a threat in the West during the initial rounds of the postseason. Looking at the current standings, Dallas will have to secure two more wins to avoid falling back to the Play-In tournament.
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