Dallas Mavericks Cruise to Another Road Victory Over LA Clippers, Leads the Series; 3-2
The Dallas Mavericks continued their winning streak on the road after their 22-year-old superstar, Luka Doncic came out scorching against the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 of the best-of-7 series, 3-2, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, 105-100.
The Luka Magic Show
It did not matter for Doncic if he was not at 100% on Wednesday night, he started the game with a magical performance, making six of his first eight shots, including 5 for 5 from the 3-point arc, dropping 19 points in the first quarter, a franchise record for most points of a player in the first quarter of a playoff game.
European legend Dirk Nowitzki previously held the scoring franchise record when he dropped 18 points in the first quarter against the Kings on May 8, 2003, Star-Telegram reported.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Luka Doncic's 42 points, 14 assists, eight rebound-performance, and a 16-0 Mavericks run before the end of the third quarter sparked Dallas Mavericks' win in Game 5. They are now a win away from its first playoff series triumph since the 2011 NBA Finals.
The road win of Dallas in Game 5 is also the 2nd Playoff series since 1995 San Antonio Spurs vs Houston Rockets Western Conference Finals, where road teams win the first five games. Houston won game six of that series at home and eventually won the NBA Finals against Orlando Magic.
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Despite his outstanding performance, Doncic reminded himself during the post-game interview that he needs to play way better. He noted that he was only 1 of 8 in the final quarter, missing a lot of shots that he usually makes.
But he stated that it was not just him who brought the win for Dallas, he emphasized that the whole team brought out the needed energy in winning Game 5. He also mentioned the contributions done by Dorian Finney-Smith, Hardaway, Powell, and Porzingis in getting the victory.
Even they trailed by 16 points early in the fourth, the Los Angeles Clippers closed the game to within 101-100. The Clippers even had a chance to take the lead after Doncic made a turnover with 18.8 seconds left, but Nicolas Batum missed a contested layup with 8.8 seconds left and the Mavericks put the game away with free-throws, 105-100.
Furthermore, Luka Doncic also scored or assisted in 31 of 37 total field goals of the Dallas Mavericks. Tim Hardaway Jr. finished the game with 20 points 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals while Dorian Finney-Smith who secured the game-winning free throws made 8 points. 5 steals, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
On the other hand, Paul George scored 23 points, with 6 assists, and co-star Kawhi Leonard tallied 20 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds, but it was not enough to get the victory ay home for the Clippers.
Based on the NBA playoff history, teams that have won Game 5 of a series tied 2-2 have gone on to win 82.5% of the time with numbers 174 of 211. But in this series so far, teams have defied percentages, because the road team won all of the five games in the series.
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WATCH: Dallas Mavericks vs LA Clippers Full GAME 5 Highlights | 2021 NBA Playoffs from- MLG Highlights