The Dallas Mavericks, who ranked a modest No. 20 in the NBA for scoring defense during the regular season.
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The Dallas Mavericks, who ranked a modest No. 20 in the NBA for scoring defense during the regular season, have found themselves thriving in a defensive-focused Western Conference first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers. This has been especially advantageous for them as they gear up to host Game 4 on Sunday.
Dallas pulled ahead with a 2-1 lead on Friday, clinching a 101-90 victory on their home court. In this Game 3 showdown, it marked the third consecutive game in which the Mavericks kept the Clippers to a lower score than Los Angeles’ typical regular-season average of 115.6 points per game, as well as below Dallas’ own regular-season allowance of 115.6 points per game.
It was Dallas’ second consecutive win in the series when they limited Los Angeles to less than 100 points. The Mavericks leveled the best-of-seven series with a 96-93 win on Tuesday in Los Angeles. The Clippers had won the series opener 109-97.
For the Mavericks, Brown and Prosper will not be playing the game. Besides, Doncic and Hardaway might also miss the game. As for the Clippers, Leonard might miss the game.
In Game 3, Luka Doncic, who led the NBA in scoring during the regular season with 33.9 points per game, ended up with 22 points. However, he struggled with his shooting, going 7-of-25 from the field, including just 3 of 14 from beyond the arc. In the first two games of the series, Doncic had scored 33 and 32 points, respectively.
Doncic came close to recording a triple-double with 10 rebounds and nine assists. He also got a boost from Kyrie Irving, who scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half. Throughout the series, Irving has been averaging 25.0 points per game.
As Los Angeles aims to prevent going down 3-1 before returning home for Game 5 on Wednesday, the Clippers are dealing with uncertainty surrounding Kawhi Leonard. Leonard, who led the Clippers in scoring during the regular season with 23.7 points per game, sat out Game 1 due to knee inflammation. He last played on March 31 when he returned for Game 2 but only managed to score 15 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field.
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