Doncic, Mavs put Clippers in an 0-2 hole
LOS ANGELES » Perhaps the Clippers should have done everything in their power to avoid meeting Luka Doncic in the playoffs.
In their final two games of the season — losses to Western Conference cellar dwellers Houston and Oklahoma City — the Clippers made no secret that they prioritized health and rest over rust and a higher seeding and a potential matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The result: the fourth seed and a first-round playoff rematch with the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks. And No. 77.
Even seeing a steadier dose of allNBA defenders Paul George and Kawhi Leonard than he had in Game 1, the 22-year-old Slovenian superstar on Tuesday enjoyed yet another sterling performance against the Clippers -leading the Mavericks to a 127-121 victory and a 2-0 series lead after consecutive victories in L.A., with the series shifting back to Dallas for the next two
The Mavericks’ Luka Doncic drives to the basket Tuesday night against the Clippers’ Paul George, back, in Game 2. games.
Doncic won Tuesday’s star-studded clash, in which the Clippers’ big names Kawhi Leonard and Paul George gave their side 41 points and 28 points, respectively.
After notching a 31-point triple double on Saturday, Doncic delivered again in Game 2, with 39 points — a tally complemented capably by Tim Hardaway Jr.s’ 28 points and Kristaps Porzingis’ 20 points.
Doncic put on a show for All-Pro Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the sideline and With retired Dallas great Dirk Nowitzki in the stands, amidst cardboard cutouts — and a fair sampling of replica Nowitzki No. 41 jerseys — on hand to see the Mavericks edge two wins closer to advancing in a playoff series for the first time since 2011, when
he led them to their only NBA title.
It was gut-check time in L.A., where the Clippers found themselves fighting to dig out of a daunting 13-point hole with 7:20 to play, knowing a loss would mean they’d face a 2-0 deficit heading on the road to Dallas for the next two games of their first-round Western Conference playoffs series.
The Clippers showed some resolve, as Marcus Morris Sr. finally got some 3-pointers to fall to stop the bleeding and close the gap to 114-109 — before he fouled out with 3:43 to play.
After Leonard scored five consecutive points, George stripped the ball form Doncic and then lobbed a pass to a gliding Terance Mann (eight points in 15 second-half minutes) to cut it to 120116 with 1:24 to play, bringing the crowd of 6,885 to its feet.
An authoritative George dunk made it 123-118 with 58.4 seconds to play.