Mavericks Advance to Face Thunder in Western Semifinals

On Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Clippers in Los Angeles during Game Five, to take a commanding 3-2 series advantage. Last night in Dallas, the Mavericks got the job done, taking Game Six 114-101 to move on into the Western Conference Semifinals against the first-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. For Los Angeles, this first-round exit feels nothing short of disappointing, as they had serious hopes of making a deep playoff run, but without Kawhi Leonard finding time on the court this series, the Clippers were doomed to implode. With Paul George, and James Harden unrestricted free agents this summer, we may see a whole different look to this Clippers team next season.

Dallas took an eight-point lead at the end of one-quarter of action, but Los Angeles courageously fought back during the second quarter, as they outscored the Mavs 26-18, to tie the game up at 52 heading into halftime. The biggest moment that turned this game around and upside down was the Mavericks third quarter. Dallas outscored Los Angeles 35-20, taking a solid 15-point lead heading into the final quarter of play. The Clippers knew they had to go on a drastic run during the fourth if they wanted to push this game to a final Game Seven. Los Angeles outscored Dallas by just two points during the fourth, and that wouldn’t nearly be enough to stop a Mavs team that shot 48 percent from the field, and 33 percent from beyond the arc for the game. Dallas’ shooting was ultimately the difference maker in this Game Six, as the Clippers shot a near 42 percent from the field and 26 percent from deep. 

In 42 minutes, Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 30 points on 11 of 19 shooting along with six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. Luka Dončić had 28 points, seven rebounds, 13 assists, a steal, and a block. Norman Powell off the bench led the Clippers with 20 points, while Paul George dropped 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. The biggest what-if moment of this series is of Kawhi Leonard. He didn’t play in Games Four, Five, or Six, which greatly cost his team two games in this series. Leonard came to the Clippers to define his career, and prove he’s a much different competitor than top players like LeBron James, or Kevin Durant, however his time in Los Angeles has not worked out the way Kawhi has hoped.