Preview, prediction and stars for Los Angeles Clippers v Dallas Mavericks 1st round NBA Playoffs 2024 series

The first round of the NBA Playoffs 2024 already knows some of the matchups that will take place after the conclusion of the regular season. In fact, only the two teams from each conference that will enter the playoffs for the ring from the play-in are yet to be determined. In the West, one of the confirmed series is the one between Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks, with Luka Doncic, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Kyrie Irving and James Harden as the main stars of the duel.

The Los Angeles franchise will have home-court advantage in the playoffs, having finished 4th in the Western Conference with a 51-31 record. At home, the Clippers have managed to win 25 of their 41 games, while away from Los Angeles they have finished 26-15, a very similar record.

Dallas Mavericks.

The Texas team will have to rob the Clippers of home-court advantage if they want to win the playoffs. Dallas has finished 5th in the West with a 50-32 record, with very similar balances to their opponents in both their home (25-16) and away (25-16) games. This shows us that the playoff series will be a long one, barring a surprise.

- Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks): The Slovenian has completed what has been his best regular season since he arrived in the NBA. In fact, after Nikola Jokic, he is the second best candidate to win the MVP of the season. He has averaged 33.9 points (1st in the NBA), 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game with 70 games played.

- Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers): The two-time Finals MVP has been the Clippers' best player this season, averaging 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

- Kyrie Irving (Dallas Mavericks): The Mavs point guard has had one of his best seasons in the NBA, also showing great commitment to the Texas team's project. This season, Irving has averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.

- Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers): It's true that he hasn't had his most impactful season in terms of scoring, but George has almost always shown up in big moments. This season he has averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

- James Harden (Los Angeles Clippers): In recent years, 'The Beard' has abandoned his role as a scorer to focus on enhancing his role as a great playmaker. In his first year with the Clippers he has averaged 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game.

Prediction.

Taking into account the contexts, the level of each team and their performance in the regular season, everything points to a first round series that will be as long as possible, and that the team that wins will not be at all surprising.