The 6-foot-7 guard’s inefficiency and sloppiness proved costly on Wednesday night with Dallas falling behind 3-0 to the Boston Celtics in the series.

Stephen A. Smith pinned the blame for the Dallas Mavericks’ loss in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Luka DoncicCredit: X/FirstTake

Stephen A. slammed Doncic (pictured) for ‘selfishness’ after the Mavs star fouled out four minutes before the end of Wednesday’s clash with the Boston CelticsCredit: Getty

Doncic, 25, finished the night with 27 points, six rebounds, six assists, and a steal.

He spent the last four minutes of the clash on the bench having fouled out as Dallas tried you mount a comeback from a double-digit deficit, adding to the Slovenian’s tough night.

The following morning, Stephen A., 56, had no mercy for the former No. 3 overall pick.

“Of course, Luka deserves most of the blame for this [loss],” Smith said on First Take.

“It was a horrible performance. 27 points on 27 shots.

“But it wasn’t because of that. It was because of the level of selfishness and the lack of accountability.

“You’re the superstar of the team. You’re supposed to be the leader of the team.

Smith called Doncic “petulant” and “petty,” saying the five-time All-Star committed some of his six fouls out of frustration that the game wasn’t going his way.

He also said the Mavericks guard was “pointing the finger at anybody by himself” as he was yelling for head coach Jason Kidd to challenge the charge he was called for that would get him fouled out.

And Stephen A pointed out that the Slovenian has been racking in costly fouls and turnovers late in the game continuously since the start of the Finals.

Luka Doncic slammed for ‘unacceptable’ performance on SportsCenter as ESPN star claims ‘he’s the reason’ Mavs will lose

Smith echoed his ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst’s criticism of Doncic, who said the Mavs leader’s performance was “unacceptable” because of his lack of defensive effort after the game.

“I’m standing here in the Mavericks tunnel. Over there is the Celtics tunnel,” Windhorst said.

“That’s where the winners are. If Luka’s ever going to be a winner coming out of this tunnel here, he’s going to have to use what happened in this Finals as a learning experience.

“His defensive performance is unacceptable. He’s a hole on the court.

NBA Finals schedule

Thur 6 June – Game 1 – Dallas Mavericks 89-107 Boston Celtics

Sun 9 June – Game 2 – Dallas Mavericks 98-105 Boston Celtics

Wed 12 June – Game 3 – Boston Celtics 106-99 Dallas Mavericks

Fri 14 June – Game 4, 8.30pm ET – Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks

Mon 17 June – Game 5, 8.30pm ET – Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics

Thur 20 June – Game 6, 8.30pm ET – Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks

Sun 23 June – Game 7, 8pm ET – Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics

(Boston leads Dallas 3-0)

“[The Celtics] are ahead in this series because they have attacked him defensively.”

Meanwhile, Doncic hit out at the referees in the postgame press conference.

“We couldn’t play physical,” he said when asked about the officiating.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to say nothing.”

“But six fouls in the NBA Finals, basically I’m like this,” Doncic added, spreading his arms.

“Come on man. Be better than that.”

Kyrie Irving shined on Wednesday night after a tough start to the Finals, ending up with a game-high 35 points against his former team.

Game 4 takes place on Friday, tipping off at 8:30 pm ET.