DALLAS, TX – The Dallas Mavericks returned the favor tonight beating the Los Angeles Clippers 122-114 after losing to them in game seven in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
The Mavericks started the game with vengeance, they had the loss of last season on their mind and they were ready to get even.
One of the players that stood out ready to play tonight was Kristaps Prozingis. He had back-to-back defensive plays (a steal and a block) early in the first quarter to get the Mavs going. That turned Dallas up and they climbed 13 points on the Clippers with 5:41 left in the quarter.
The Clippers bounced back and went on a 6-0 run to push them ahead by one point with three minutes left in the quarter. The Mavs held them off and ended the quarter up one, 31-30.
The second quarter was back and forth for both teams but Dallas was capitalizing on second chance opportunities. They outrebounded the Clippers 38-22 in the first half and had 30 points in the paint.
Dallas went into the locker room up 60-56.
Porzingis led going into the half with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Luka Doncic was not too far behind him with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Both players did not play in the second half.
Doncic had nine assists in this game, four within the first five minutes. Head coach Jason Kidd told us before the season started that Doncic trusting and utilizing his teammates more is something that he needs to work on. Looks like Luka got the message.
The Mavs fell asleep a little bit in the third quarter, the Clippers won the quarter 41-31. Los Angeles went into the fourth up 97-91.
Mavs went on a 8-0 run to enter the fourth quarter and went up 99-97 with 9:21 remaining in the game. The Mavs exploded on defense, keeping the Clippers to 17 points in the fourth and brought home the victory.
“They played hard and shared the ball,” Coach Kidd said postgame.
Dallas outrebounded Los Angeles 73-47 and had 22 points off second chance opportunities. The Mavs scored 68 points in the paint and shot 46.9 percent from the floor. Dallas struggled from beyond the arc tonight shooting 26 percent.
Their dominant defense was led tonight by Kristaps Porzingis. He led the team with two steals and three blocks. Overall, Dallas had 13 steals and eight blocks as a team.
The Mavs have two more preseason games before regular season kicks off October 28. They will head to Charlotte to play the Hornetts Wednesday, October 13. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m.
