Luka Doncic gets triple-double as Mavs lose again

Doncic has racked up a 30-point triple-double in four straight games for Dallas, and fell just one rebound short the game before, when he put up 45 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In those five games, Dallas has gone 1-4.

During this stretch, Doncic has averaged 37.8 points, 12.4 rebounds and 10.6 rebounds. Meanwhile Dallas has lost one game by 17 points and another by 28. In the game before his scorching-hot run began, Dallas lost to Indiana by 22 points, while Doncic had only 33 points, six dimes and six boards.

Why are the Mavericks wasting these performances? The biggest reason is their defense, which has been the worst in the NBA since the All-Star break. They've given up nearly 127 points per game, and have allowed opponents to shoot 42.1 percent from three-point range during this slump.

What does Jason Kidd blame? Poor communication, plus those kids and their cell phones. After Monday's practice, Kidd said the team's weakness was not talking on defense.

"We can't take our phones out there to text one another." Kidd told reporters. "We can't look at Instagram or Twitter while we're playing. We've got to be able to talk to one another, to help each other."

Unfortunately, there's no app for playing defense. What's also baffling is that Dallas seemingly upgraded its defense at the trade deadline by adding P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. It hasn't been enough.

Another problem might be Doncic himself, never a strong defender. With so much focus on offense and a high usage rate - he took 30 shots Tuesday night - Doncic may lack energy on the other end of the court. It doesn't help that teams also target his backcourt mate, Kyrie Irving.

Without Doncic's heroics, the Mavericks would surely be in worse shape. Still, it's confounding that a 30-point triple-double doesn't correlate with winning.