The Mavericks own a 2-0 lead over the Los Angeles Clippers in the first-round playoff series, beating them 127-121.
Follow Us
The LA Clippers spent plenty of time talking about playing better defence on Luka Doncic in the leadup to Tuesday’s 127-121 loss in Game 2 to the Dallas Mavericks.
Kawhi Leonard is no stranger to 2-0 deficits. He played for the last team to overcome one in a playoff series. His 2019 team Toronto Raptors blew a fourth-quarter lead against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals and then got demolished in Game 2. The Bucks pushed them to the absolute brink in Game 3, a double-overtime thriller, but the Raptors held on and won series clincher. They didn’t lose again in that series, wiping the Bucks out in six games, and went on to win the championship.
The Clippers are going to have to lean on that because 2-0 comebacks are extremely rare in the NBA.
But the Clippers are in an even more difficult position now. Remember, they are the higher seed in this series. They just lost two games at home this season. They are now traveling to Dallas for two more and must beat them on the road, in front of what will be a drastically different atmosphere than what we saw in Los Angeles.
Luka Doncic has been phenomenal through his first two games against the Los Angeles Clippers. But the Dallas Mavericks star’s early playoff showings haven’t just been impressive, they’re arguably the best in NBA history.
The Mavs star is averaging 35.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 9.0 assists through their first two victories against the Clippers.
Luka Doncic paced the Mavs with 39 points on 16 of 29 shooting alongside seven assists and seven rebounds. He led a Dallas offense that shot 58.5 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from three-point range.
Kawhi Leonard (41 points) and Paul George (28 points) carried the Clippers offense. Dallas are now two wins away from its first playoff series win since 2011, when it won the NBA Finals.
Los Angeles has lost homecourt advantage to Dallas in the best-of-seven playoff series, and the Mavs can now close this matchup at home with wins in their next two games.
