Tim MacMahon

ESPN story on Luka Doncic’s animated display of dismay after Rick Carlisle decided not to use the Mavs’ final timeout during a clutch possession late in a loss to the Bucks: https://t.co/jBt7owWihF

Kristaps Porzingis: "I want to take a lot of responsibility for this [loss]." He says he wishes he was "more calm" and said he rushed his potential go-ahead 3 late.

Luka Doncic: "It’s coach’s decision, but if we would have made the shot, everything would be good. If we made the shot, everything would be different, you know. But I don’t know. It’s coach’s decision to call a timeout or no, so I think it’s good." https://t.co/IIzBSBYyh1

Asked if he discussed this with Doncic after the game, Carlisle said: "I’m not going to get into that publicly. Look, we got two good shots and we preserved a timeout. As a coach, that’s all you can hope for in that situation."

Rick Carlisle: "It’s very difficult to call a timeout and go against a Milwaukee set defense out of a timeout. I think in those situations, if you can put the ball in your best player’s hands, you’ll get better opportunities. And I thought we got two good ones." https://t.co/IIzBSBYyh1

Luka Doncic clearly upset that the Mavs didn't call a timeout after the offensive rebound. He doesn't have to be the guy who takes the shot with the game on the line, but he needs to have the ball in his hands to make the decision.

I wonder if Giannis is setting for stepback 3s with a big man guarding him because he's hesitant to get fouled if he drives.

An off night for Kristaps Porzingis in his second game back isn't surprising, especially with him primarily playing power forward. He struggled early last season and didn't really get rolling until he shifted to playing center full time. Mavs' absences make that impossible now.

Milwaukee's Bobby Portis has 15 rebounds in 15 minutes. I think he had a dozen on that possession.

Doncic is dominating. But is that a good thing? @Mike_Schmitz dives into the numbers (ESPN+): https://t.co/neckBZzJ8c https://t.co/vvFtOUjZ5n

🙏🏽 https://t.co/bk0tzC6jiV

James Harden’s exit in Houston “didn’t go as smooth” as he was hoping it would, but the guard got his wish: to compete for an NBA title in Brooklyn. ESPN Story: https://t.co/OPN2HO5yVS

Asked about his conditioning level at this point in the season, a grinning Harden said: "Great" and chuckled.

The Rockets, who had heard similar sentiments from Harden in previous offseasons, were optimistic for a while that they could salvage the relationship and compete this season. But Harden had clearly made up his mind and never wavered, ugly as it might have been.

Of note, James Harden came to this conclusion before Daryl Morey’s departure. https://t.co/tcVxSvJf0j

James Harden on the end of his tenure in Houston: "I wasn't disrespectful to anyone... I just made a comment that the team as a whole wasn't good enough to compete for a title... At this stage in my career, that's what I'd love."

James Harden is about to address the media for the first time since the trade - we’ll have it all for you on The Jump at the top of the hour, on ESPN. 📺🍿😎

Steve Nash noted that James Harden "carried" the Rockets for "many years" and "gave them everything he had." Nash said he has no concerns about Harden's last few weeks in Houston, calling it a "sample size that is fairly irrelevant."