No Kawhi, No Problem as the Clippers Defeat the Mavs in Game One
Los Angeles Clippers All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard was ruled out just a few hours before tip-off, making matters seemingly more challenging for the fourth-seeded Clippers heading into Game One. However, James Harden and the rest of the crew showed their ability to pick up the slack and step up in the playoffs, dropping the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 109-97. Harden came out of the gates scorching hot, hitting his first four three-point shots en route to 28 points to go along with eight assists. The Clippers found themselves up by 12 points after the first quarter and followed up by putting together a phenomenal defensive performance in the second quarter to hold the Mavs to a lowly eight points. Harden and center Ivica Zubac put up a combined 32 first-half points, outsourcing the entire Mavs team (30 points). The Mavs missed their last 12 shots in the second quarter, a testament to the Clippers’ effort on the defensive end without their elite wing defender.
The Mavs were down by 26 points at the half and were never able to truly get themselves back in the game at any point in the second half. The fantastic guard tandem of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 64 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists on 48% shooting from the field. The rest of the team totaled just 33 points on 28% shooting, with only P.J. Washington reaching double figures with 11 points. The Mavs ran a true 10-man rotation, while the Clippers stuck with a tighter eight-man rotation. Forward Paul George finished with 22 points, hitting four three-pointers, and adding six rebounds. Ivica Zubac dropped 20 points and 15 rebounds and caused problems all afternoon for the Mavs’ bigs. The Clippers shot 18-36 (50%) from deep as a team, while the Mavs shot just 10-33 (30.3%).
Game Two will take place on Tuesday again in Los Angeles at crypto.com Arena, and Clippers’ coach Ty Lue was hesitant about Kawhi Leonard’s availability for the game. Kawhi’s health will be a continued storyline throughout the series, but if Harden, PG, and the rest of the Clippers can put together a couple more wins then it will give Leonard more time to rest and get ready for the next round. The Mavs will have to figure out who is going to step up as their third and fourth scoring options, and they need P.J. Washington and/or Tim Hardaway Jr. to contribute to have a chance in the series.
