"Thought he was Caitlin Clark?": Fans blast Luka Doncic for "stupid" shot attempt in clutch with red-hot Kyrie Irving ball watching

Hoops fans were quick to criticize Luka Doncic after the Dallas Mavericks endured a heartbreaking 122-120 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Frustrations ran high over Doncic’s decision-making in the clutch, especially with the Mavericks holding a 120-118 lead and just over a minute left on the clock.

With the shot clock winding down, the five-time NBA All-Star chose to go one-on-one against Peyton Watson, dribbling for a few seconds before launching a deep 3-pointer, which missed badly. The Nuggets capitalized on this opportunity, outmaneuvering the Mavericks in the final minute to secure a thrilling victory.

Fans voiced strong opinions on Doncic’s choice to take the deep shot instead of running the offense through Kyrie Irving, who was on fire in the fourth quarter. Kyrie, who scored 16 points in the final period, had set a screen for Doncic, then watched as the Slovenian star opted to go one-on-one against Watson.

"One of the stupidest shots I’ve ever seen watching basketball with and without the context of what was happening," a fan wrote.

"Thought he was Caitlin Clark???" said another fan.

"If it went in it’s still a moronic shot. The worst possible shot. How does that change anything," another user wrote.

"Kyrie should’ve touched the ball in every clutch possession idk why Luka thought he needed to be the hero," said another.

"Agreed but he was going for the 3 for 2. Still a force and could have tried to create earlier and have the same outcome," wrote another X user.

"Retarded bro he was getting to that 15 footer on Watson all game but didn’t go back to it," another user commented.

Second straight loss for Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks dropped their second straight game, falling to a 5-5 record after a narrow loss to the Denver Nuggets. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for an impressive 67 points, but the team struggled to close out the game.

Irving, known for his clutch shot-making, delivered an outstanding performance. The former NBA champion shot a remarkable 17 of 22 from the field, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range, finishing with 43 points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block.

Meanwhile, Doncic had a tough night from beyond the arc, hitting just two of his nine shots. The Mavericks star ended the game with 24 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one block.