LOS ANGELES – On the last play of the third quarter, Luka Doncic received a technical foul for barking at a referee after not receiving a call for the 1 he felt he deserved on a drive. That point from the Clippers’ ensuing free throw gave Los Angeles a fourth-quarter lead. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd surprisingly agreed with that.
“A lot of times he turns it into something positive,” Kidd said of Doncic getting a technical, also joking that Doncic just wanted to see if he could still get a ‘T.’ “For some reason, he will channel that energy. He transfers it to someone else and takes his game to another level. A lot of times when you get a ‘T,’ sometimes the opposite happens. It can be a negative, but I think a lot of Sometimes he’s using it to move forward.”
Doncic started — he made key plays throughout the fourth quarter, setting up teammates and hitting hard shots, like this one to put the Mavericks up nine late.
In what felt like a 1990s Eastern Conference playoff game — low scoring, physical, lots of bricks — Doncic and the Mavericks hit their shots down the stretch and held on for a 96-93 victory.
This victory ties the series between the Clippers and Mavericks 1-1 as the teams head to Dallas for Game 3 on Friday.
The good news for the Clippers was that Kawhi Leonard returned to the court after being out for just over three weeks due to right knee inflammation. Leonard made some defensive plays but looked rusty on offense — 0 of 5 from 3 — and finished with 13 points. After the game, he said he felt good and hoped to be more himself in the next game.
For all the concerns about matchups and rotations, this game came down to the most fundamental skill in basketball – Dallas simply shot the ball better. The Clippers had more offensive rebounds and fewer turnovers, had more quick break points and more points in the zone, and shot better at the rim. However, Dallas shot 42.4% from 3 to the Clippers’ 26.7% – the six more 3-pointers Dallas made made the difference.
Kyrie Irving scored 23 for Dallas and PJ Washington scored 18. James Harden and Paul George scored 22 each for the Clippers.
Dallas came out in Game 2 and matched the Clippers’ physicality, and we also saw the Mavericks defense that ranked in the top 10 in the league in March and April. They were active and more focused on the defensive end, especially not letting Ivica Zubac in (he finished the night shooting 5 of 12).
“We got pretty stagnant tonight in that fourth quarter,” Leonard said. “Now I just want to get a rhythm with the team and then get a win.”
The game was decided midway through the fourth quarter when Dallas went on a 14-0 run sparked by Doncic. The Mavericks took advantage when the Clippers’ defensive decisions got sloppy – getting targeted for a pick and giving up Doncic for a 3, on the next trip doubling Doncic by leaving Irving open to a pass for a 3.
“So offensively, just being better, playing with more rhythm, getting into the paint a little more,” Lue said of what he wants to see from the offense Friday night in Game 3. “We missed a lot of shots, but even now just like what we did defensively, I take advantage of that every day of the week… To keep this team to 96 points, it was a great defensive night. We just need to do a better job of scoring the basketball.
