The LA Clippers regained the lead in their series against the Dallas Mavericks with a decisive victory in Game 3 last Friday. The Dallas Mavericks have one full day of rest to plot a perfect game plan to even the series up – and to let Luka Doncic heal up. Check out our preview of this game below.
On the strength of a 45-point output in the second quarter, the Clippers were able to defeat Dallas in Game 3, 130-122. Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers’ charge as usual with 36 points on 13-of-24 shooting from the field. He also recorded nine rebounds and eight assists. The Clippers, however, might be starting to worry about Paul George, who was silent for the second game in a row. After scoring just 14 points in Game 2, George mustered only 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting in Game 3. It was a good thing for the Clippers that there were a lot of quality contributors to provide support for Leonard. Landry Shamet started and scored 18 points, while Montrezl Harrell made 13 points off the bench. Game 3’s win showed why the Clippers were expected prior to the series to dominate Dallas’s vulnerable defense. The Clippers shot 52 percent from the field and hit 41.2 percent of their 3-point shots in the win. That could be a trend the Clippers are looking at, especially once George wakes up from his slumber.
The Clippers are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games.
The entire Mavericks nation is sharing the same anxiety right now over the left ankle that Luka Doncic sprained in Game 3. Doncic finished the game with still a triple-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Doncic was still able to come back to the game, but got taken out, as he was obviously having a hard time moving. His status for Game 4 is definitely one to look out for. According to Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle, the team will wait for an MRI on Doncic’s ankle to know more about the injury’s severity, though, the fact that the Slovenian was able to play for at least some minutes despite the hurting ankle is a source of optimism for the Mavericks. If he’ll miss Game 4, Kristaps Porzingis will receive a bump on his usage while the likes of Tim Hardaway Jr . and Seth Curry will be pressed to duplicate their efforts in Game 3. Porzingis had 34 points in the loss. Hardaway had 22, while Curry also scored 22 points, each player hitting four 3-pointers.
