The Dallas Mavericks pulled off a win in Game 1 to get ahead right away in the series against the LA Clippers. Will the Mavs go up 2-0 this Tuesday? Or will the Clippers fight back and even things up? Check out our preview of this game below.
Luka Doncic kicked off the Mavericks’ playoffs schedule with a bang. The Slovenian superstar scored 31 points to go with 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the Mavs’ 113-103 win over the Clippers in Game 1. Despite a bad game from Kristaps Porzingis, who went 4 of 13 from the floor and finished with just 14 points, the Mavs got superb performances from the other guys. Dorian Finney Smith knocked down four threes on his way to an 18-point night, while Tim Hardaway Jr. wowed with 21 points. The Clippers are putting Kawhi Leonard on Porzingis and George’s primary assignment is Doncic, but if the likes of DFS and THJ will continue what they’ve done in Game 1, there’s going to be a huge problem waiting for them every game in this series for LA.
The Mavs, who made 17 threes on 36 attempts in Game 1, are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games as a road underdog.
Who’s going to step up for the Clippers outside of Leonard and George? Both players struggled with their shot in Game 1, as Leonard went 9 of 22 for 26 points, while George was 8 of 18 for 23 points. Their scoring productions were fine, but the efficiency with which they got those points should be worrying the Clippers, at least for a bit. Marcus Morris Jr. started and scored just four points, while Reggie Jackson played 21 minutes but scored just two points. It’s still early in the series, but the Clippers need to make adjustments soon not just on offense but also on the other end of the floor. Still, having two superstars in George and Leonard could provide all the answers the Clippers need, and we’ll see about that in Game 2. Back in the regular season, the Clippers were fourth in the league with a 56.6 effective field goal percentage.
The under is 7-0-2 in the Clippers’ last nine games in the playoffs as a favorite.
