LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — After a great win on Sunday the Mavericks defeated the Clippers 127-121 to go up 2-0 in the series.
Winning on the road in the regular season is one thing, but winning on the road in the playoffs is another. The last time the Mavericks won game one of a series was in 2011 when they won their first NBA championship as a franchise. Not to say that their win Sunday means they’re winning the NBA Championship, but it does further confirm how dangerous this Mavericks team is and how big of a threat they are.
Even though the Mavericks hold the lead in the series, they still have a few more wins to go and game two was no time to become comfortable.
Dallas’s aggressiveness was apparent from the start and they exploded offensively in the first quarter. The trio of Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Tim Hardaway Jr combined to score 31 of the Mavericks first quarter points and converted on 76% of their shots combined. After an electrifying start, the Mavericks offense steadied and the Clipper offense began to thrive, chopping at the Mavericks 9 point lead to finish the quarter trailing by 2 points. The Mavericks had an efficient quarter knocking down 62% of their shots and 55% of their shots from beyond the arc and three Mavericks players finished in double digit scoring.
Luka Doncic was spectacular from beyond the arc in the second quarter knocking down two three pointers close to the logo. Doncic finished the quarter with 12 points and 23 points in total, and his supporting cast was heavily involved and converted on 69% of their shots collectively. Luka wasn’t the only one who had a great start to the night. On the other side of the floor Kawhi Leonard scored 30 first half points and Paul George added an additional 17 points. The Clippers made things uncomfortable for the Mavericks and erased the Mavericks lead finishing the first half with a 2 point 73-71 lead.
Coming out of the half, Tim Hardaway Jr made his presence felt and was the clear #2 option in the Mavericks offense. Hardaway scored 8 of the Mavericks first points in the quarter and finished the quarter with 25 points total which helped the Mavericks gain separation. What also helped was the fact that the Mavericks were the first team to apply pressure on defense and the Clippers couldn’t stop Luka Doncic who continued his explosive night scoring finishing the quarter with a total of 35 points. The Mavericks secured a 101-92 lead before they put their fours up.
The Mavericks struggled from the free throw line the first three quarters and that didn’t change in the fourth quarter. Their lack of success from the free throw line afforded the Clippers the opportunity to find their way back into the game going on a 15-6 run with just over two minutes remaining in the game. The Mavericks halted the Clippers run after Tim Hardaway Jr made his 6th three pointer of the night leaving the Clippers with little time falling short of their comeback hopes.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks in scoring with 39 points on 55% shooting from the field and 38% shooting from beyond the arc. Tim Hardaway Jr scored 28 points and Kristaps Porzingis scored 20 points en route to taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
Winning both opening road games is a sign that this Mavericks team is in sync at the right time with two home games in their near future. The Mavericks have some control now and if there was a scale to measure momentum, it would be leaning mostly in Dallas’s favor, but anything can happen in the playoffs as the saying goes.
