Luka Doncic on his defense tonight: “It’s playoffs. It’s different. They’re trying to double with me and I say no double. I take pride in my defense too. They’re always going to say that - the haters. But it’s fine. I’m out here enjoying playing basketball. That’s fun man.”
The Dallas Mavericks win a hard-fought game against the Los Angeles Clippers and return home with the series 1-1
NBAWednesday, 24 April 2024 at 07:32
On the last playoff game scheduled for tonight, the 4th seeded Los Angeles Clippers faced the Dallas Mavericks after defeating Luka Doncic's team with relative ease on Sunday to take the lead in the series 1-0. This time, the Mavs brought the intensity and rounded up a solid win 96-93 to even the series 1-1.
Game 2 of this amazing battle was a rough, scrappy game played by both teams from start to finish. The Clippers recovered Kawhi Leonard for this matchup, however the Klaw looked a bit rusty from those 2 weeks of inactivity. LA's offense relied more on Paul George and James Harden's efforts.
Dallas made some adjustments on defense to protect the mismatchs that the Clippers exploited two days ago. In addition, every member of the Mavs played with great energy on the defensive side of the floor. With both teams heavily focused on defense we had a low scoring game, leaving the feeling that nearly every shot taken was contested.
In the fourth quarter, Mavs role players like PJ Washington and Maxi Kleber came up with some big shots. Doncic, who was visibly frustrated with the officiating throughout the entire game, finally focused 100% on the game and hit a couple of clutch shots like he's used too, propelling a Mavs run that gave them a 6-point margin that turned out to be decisive.
Luka finished with 32 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Kyrie Irving was excellent as well, adding 23 points and 6 rebounds. He was especially active on defense, collaborating with 3 steals.
The Clippers were led by PG with 22 points. James Harden also scored 22 points and Ivica Zubac had 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
This spectacular series continues next Friday with game three at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
