The LA Clippers struck first in their series against the Dallas Mavericks, but Luka Doncic gave Kawhi Leonard and company a reason to feel threatened. Will the Mavs tie the series up on Wednesday? Or will the Clippers take a commanding 2-0 lead? Check out out preview of Game 2 of Mavericks vs. Clippers below.
In his first NBA playoff game, Luka Doncic made sure to erase any doubts on him about whether he can handle the big stage — even in a loss. Doncic blew up for 42 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field with two 3-pointers, nine assists, and seven rebounds, though, the Mavericks ended up losing the series opener, 118-110. Doncic had to do so much since Kristaps Porzingis played logged in only 19 minutes of floor duty, as he was ejected from the game. Had Porzingis stayed longer in the game, the result of the game could have likely gone Dallas’ favor, as the Latvian was a matchup problem for the Clippers. He’s too big for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and Montrezl Harrell and too agile for Ivica Zubac. Porzingis must have learned a lesson in Game 1 and will enter Game 2 with much different control and awareness of his emotions. Dallas’s supporting cast also answered the call in Game 1, and hopefully, for the Mavs, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Seth Curry will keep it going. The two scored a total of 32 points with eight threes between them last Monday.
The under is 2-0 in the Mavericks’ last two games.
The Clippers leaned on their own superstar duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to weather Doncic’s production on the other side in Game 1. The battle-tested Leonard paced the Clippers with 29 points with 12 rebounds and six assists. George knocked down four 3-pointers and finished the game with 27 points. Marcus Morris Sr. played excellent defense and complemented that with 19 points, while Lou Williams fired 14 points from the bench. Although Doncic dropped 42 points on them, the Clippers could still feel good about their defense, as they forced the Mavericks to turn the ball over 21 points — 1o more than them. Doncic accounted for nine of those errors. As long as the Clippers are playing pesky defense and forcing turnovers, Doncic and the Mavericks will be shooting themselves in the foot by coughing up turnovers for Leonard and company to turn into points. The Clippers are sixth in the Orlando Bubble among 22 teams in points off turnovers with 19.7 per game. Against Dallas, the Clippers scored 22 points off the Mavs’ miscues.
The Clippers are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games.
