Los Angeles Clippers Retaliates Against Dallas Mavericks, Shifts Series at 2-1
The Los Angeles Clippers bounced back in their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, 118-108, spoiling the playoff debut of Luka Doncic at the American Airlines Center, the Mavs homecourt.
Efficient Performance of Clippers' Dynamic Duo
The Clippers' Dynamic Duo saved the struggling LA team from getting to the 0-3 playoff hole. Kawhi Leonard led the charge for the Clippers and dropped 36 points, while his co-star Paul George scored 29 points in a pivotal Game 3 to give the team some light at the first-round playoff tunnel.
According to USA Today, the Los Angeles Clippers bounced back from two losses at home by crawling back from a huge early surge launched by the Dallas Mavericks.
In front of the biggest crowd in Dallas so far this season, the Clippers stopped the momentum of the Mavs, taking the series to 2-1 on Friday night.
The Mavs' young superstar Luka Doncic fed the frenzy of 17,705 fans inside the American Airlines Center and made his first four shots. Three among those initials shots of Doncic came from beyond the arc.
The Mavs took an early 30-11 lead, and most of it came from Doncic, who finished the night with a playoff career-high of 44 points.
However, the Clippers erased most of the early deficit with a 14-0 run before the first quarter ended. In the second quarter, Paul George gave the Clippers their first taste of the lead from beyond the arc. Aside from coming back to the series, the win also ended the five-game postseason losing streak of the Clippers.
The losing streak dates back to the playoff bubble at Florida last year where the LA Clippers was beat the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the first round before they blew a 3-1 lead in the second round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets led by "the Joker," Nikola Jokic.
Kawhi Leonard made his first eight shots in the field. Three of Leonard's shots were part of the Clippers' 14-0 run that quieted the Dallas crowd.
Paul George dropped 22 points before leading to the second half. "PG13" had an efficient night, making 10 of his 13 shots from the field before halftime, Los Angeles Times reported.
Marcus Morris hit his corner 3s in front of the bench of Dallas Mavericks in the final period. Morris hit timely shots beyond the arc to stay ahead in the game. Every time Morris hits his shots, he turns to Dallas players and taunts them, but he ended up fouling out in the game.
Despite the absence of Morris in the game, he has already done enough damage to hold the Mavs. Morris made his nine of 15 points in the final period, which gave them the upper hand in the final minutes.
Even Luka Doncic and Patrick Beverley got double technicals in the first half. Both went on a skirmish in the early minutes of the game.
Also, Dallas center Willie Cauley-Stein was called for a flagrant foul and a technical in separate run-ins with Clippers' shooting guard Terance Mann.
The performance of Luka Doncic in Game 3 is already his third 30-point game of the series before the fourth quarter, but his supporting cast was not nearly as effective as it was in LA in the first two games of the series.
WATCH: Paul George Postgame Interview - Game 3 - Clippers vs Mavericks | 2021 NBA Playoffs - From House of Highlights
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