LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — The Mavericks stole a win on the road in their first playoff game defeating the Clippers 113-103.
The beginning of the NBA postseason has finally arrived now that the play-in tournament is over and the field is set. Although, the Mavericks knew who their opponent would be before then and had prepared the entire week to face the Los Angeles Clippers who defeated them in the bubble playoffs 4-2, but to some degree got some early revenge during the regular season winning the series 2-1. No doubt, the Mavericks were out to avenge their defeat as the game tipped off in the first quarter.
Dallas began things out ahead of the Clippers developing a double digit lead midway through the first and carried that lead until the quarters conclusion. The Mavericks converted on 52% of their shots in the quarter and found some early success from beyond the arc. Luka Doncic led all Mavericks scorers with 12 points but oddly didn’t connect on a shot from beyond the perimeter and the rest of the Mavericks production was a collective effort.
Dallas led the Clippers at the end of the first quarter 33-30 which wasn’t a comfortable lead but the track record of success the Mavericks had during the regular season when leading in the first quarter is undeniable.
The Mavericks had a difficult start to the second quarter converting on 1 shot in the first 3 minutes of the quarter and gave the Clippers the momentum they needed to get back in the game. Los Angeles developed their first lead of the game in the second quarter, but was quickly claimed back after the Mavericks developed a late second quarter run and led the game by 5 points at the end of the first half.
Luka Doncic was the anchor for the Mavericks and finished the first half with 21 points and 6 assists. Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Richardson scored a combined 13 points in the second quarter and really contributed to the Mavericks taking the lead at the end half.
The Mavericks finished the first half shooting over 50% from the field and knocked down 10 out of 21 of their shots from the three point line which was one of the things that stuck in this performance. Even though the lead was close Dallas clearly had positional control and were going to use that to their advantage heading into the second half.
The Mavericks came out swinging at the beginning of the second half and each time the Clippers scored Dallas responded. Luka Doncic continued to have his way with the Clipper defense scoring 9 points in the third quarter on 3 of 5 shooting and converted on 60% of his shots. Dorian Finney-Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr both continued to have success from three and from the field shooting a combined 80% from the field. Dallas finished the quarter with a nice last minute drive to extend their lead to 6 once the buzzer sounded.
The Clippers made things uncomfortable for the Mavericks in the fourth quarter. The lead Dallas sustained through the first three quarters wasn’t as easy to sustain because of how well the Clippers star players played in the second half. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard both played to their strengths and gave the Clippers the boost they needed.
The Mavericks and the Clippers went back and forth late in the fourth quarter but the Mavericks found a way to separate after a few big three pointers to swing momentum back into their favor and a big time throwdown by Kristaps Porzingis to give the Mavericks their biggest lead of the game and that play helped the Mavericks close out their first win on the road in the NBA postseason. 5 Mavericks players finished in double figures in their first playoff win.
Luka Doncic finished the game leading all scorers with 31 points and messed around and got a triple double with 10 assists and 11 rebounds. The second leading scorer was Tim Hardaway Jr and Jalen Brunson scored 15 points off the bench.
Winning on the road in the playoffs is not easy to do, but when a team accomplishes that type of feat, it multiplies the momentum gained and can set the right tone. This series is far from over and there is a lot more work to be done, but for a team like the Mavericks who had an up and down season, it’s the start that they needed to chase their championship hopes.
