Luka Doncic Talks Mavs Failing to Take Timeout on Critical Late Possession vs. Bucks

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic discussed his frustration with head coach Rick Carlisle not calling a timeout during a possession in the waning seconds of a 112-109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

With the Mavs trailing by two, Trey Burke missed a three-point attempt, Dallas got the offensive board, and Kristaps Porzingis was way off on a three-point attempt, which allowed Milwaukee to secure the rebound with 7.8 seconds remaining.

After the sequence, Doncic angrily gestured toward the sideline, suggesting that he thought a timeout should have been called.

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Doncic said the following regarding the situation after the game: "It's Coach's decision, but if we would have made the shot, everything would be good. ... But I don't know. It's Coach's decision to call a timeout or no, so I think it's good."

Carlisle also chimed in, saying: "Look, we got two good shots and we preserved a timeout. As a coach, that's all you can hope for in that situation."

The Mavs fell to 6-5 on the season with the loss and wasted a big-time performance from Doncic, who fell just shy of a triple-double with 28 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds.

The Bucks, who continued to roll and improved to 9-4, were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who poured in a game-high 31 points to go along with nine rebounds.

While it was a disappointing conclusion for Doncic and the Mavericks, they were red-hot entering the game with four straight wins, and they hold a half-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for first place in the Western Conference's Southwest Division.

With Doncic hitting his stride and Porzingis back in the lineup, the Mavs figure to have plenty of wins ahead of them this season and perhaps even a deep run in the Western Conference playoffs.