Mavs Fall to Clippers’ “A” Game
Luka Sprains Ankle; Dallas Shows Strength in Loss
The Clippers appeared to take the Mavericks seriously for the first time in the series, and they were intent on making a statement. On the back of their superstar Kawhi Leonard, they did just that. Dallas fought hard and played well offensively, but their defense was not quite up to the task.
Game Story
Porzingis and Burke appeared again on the injured list, but both were again able to play. Rick went with his usual playoff starting lineup. Patrick Beverley was out again for the Clippers, and Doc elected to use Landry Shamet in his place, rather than going with Reggie Jackson again.
Both teams came out fighting in the first quarter, and the game was played very evenly. At 4:27, Luka and Montrezl Harrell got tangled up, and were called for double fouls. Montrezl started jawing, Luka reacted, and both were assessed technicals. Luka appeared rattled, and it was time for him to be subbed out anyway. The other Mavs battled to a 23-23 draw after one.
The second period, was, as Carlisle would say, the Mavs’ undoing. They allowed 45 points, the most the team has ever allowed in a playoff quarter in its history. The Clippers shot over 60% from the field, and paraded to the line, hitting 12 of 13 FTAs in the quarter. The Mavericks hung in until 4:55, when they suffered a two-and-a-half-minute run including three turnovers, KP tipping a jump ball with Kawhi to Shamet, a missed three, and two missed free throws. Toward the end of the frame, Luka was fouled on a three-point try, but missed two of the free throws. The scoreboard read 68-54 in the Clippers’ favor at halftime.
The deficit remained in double digits for almost all of the third period. With four minutes left, Luka crumpled to the floor, clutching his ankle, left the court, and literally hopped to the locker room. His teammates were within 1.4 seconds of playing the quarter to a draw, when Burke lost the ball taking it down the court, and Shamet picked it up and banked in an improbable 25-ft running pull-up three at the buzzer. Such a microcosm of the game. 102-85 Clips.
Luka had been diagnosed with an ankle sprain, but showed up to play in the fourth. After three minutes, he signaled that he needed to come out, and hopped off again. It was announced that he would not return. His teammates made a little run, eventually carving the disadvantage from 18 to 8 halfway through the period. For the remaining minutes, the Clippers were able to match whatever the Mavs threw at them, and Dallas were fortunate to end the contest within single digits.
Analytics
The Mavs were -12 on points from twos, +9 on points from threes, and -5 on made free throws. The Clippers just hit a few more shots, and the Mavs missed 7 free throws, with Luka accounting for six of the misses. The scoreline probably makes the game look a little closer than it really was, as the Clips led by double digits for most of the last 27 minutes. The shots weren’t falling in the first half (5-19 from deep), and the defense just couldn’t keep up for 48 minutes.
Players
KP (38 min) - Kristaps had an outstanding offensive game, putting up 34 points and 13 rebounds, and hitting some very difficult shots. He was quite efficient, shooting 11-18 from the field, 5-9 from long range, and 7-7 from the line. Defensively, I have to say he was just okay, not doing as good a job at protecting the rim as one would hope. In the first quarter, he got into it a bit with Morris, but managed to put his shoulders back and maintain his composure for the rest of the game. He remarked after the game that he was proud that the team gave themselves a chance by continuing to fight, and I have to agree that they never put their heads down in this match.
THJ (38 min) - Tim also did his job on the offensive end, contributing a career playoff-high 22 points on pretty good shooting (9-19, 4-10 from three), and adding 6 rebounds and 2 assists. He led the Mavs with 13 points in the third quarter.
Maxi (35 min) - The man from Wurzburg had only 5 points and 4 rebounds, and had Kawhi as his defensive assignment for the entire time he was on the floor. He played Leonard pretty well, but Kawhi is a freight train that no one guy is stopping. Rick said that his instructions to Maxi and DFS were that they were not to worry about scoring — their sole focus was to be on guarding KL and PG. So, I’m not blaming Maxi for not contributing offensively, and defending KL for the whole game probably leaves him too exhausted to make his threes. However, it does raise the question of whether it is the best decision to have a starter who gives you nothing offensively when his man is tearing you up in any event. If not for Maxi’s defense, maybe Kawhi would have had 60 points — it wouldn’t shock me, but the issue remains. This is not to bash Maxi at all — just to consider the decisions Rick is bound to be facing.
DFS (31 min) - Doe-Doe had a respectable stat line (11-7-4), and his defensive assignment Paul George was terrible (3-16, 11 points). George seems to be pretty much off in this tournament so far, but Dorian has something to do with it. DFS probably did his job, as far as Rick was concerned.
Seth (31 min) - Curry was sizzling in this game, scoring 22 points (a career playoff high) on 9-11 shooting, along with 3 assists and a steal. It was really a shame to see this performance wasted in a loss. Seth has been excellent in this series — I believe 20-31 is his shooting record, and Rick has been impressed with his scrappy defense. He and Tim stepped up in Luka’s absence, and it was fun to see Seth dazzle on the floor.
Luka (29 min) - Oh, Luka. Even before he got hurt, he didn’t look good. Not bad, just sort of off. He scored only 13 points, completed only 4 of 14 attempts, was 1-6 from beyond the arc, and missed 6 of his 10 FTAs. Yikes. To some extent, it seemed like the Clippers’ cheap shots and dirty play were getting to him, and that is indeed the Clippers’ game. It is too bad the refs permit this stuff. Of course, the bigger story was his ankle injury. Rick was not certain how bad it is, but they will know more after results of an MRI on Saturday. Luka deemed it as “not that bad.” We’ll hope for the best.
Burke (16 min) — Trey did an admirable job filling in for Luka, chipping in 10 points off the bench to go with 3 assists and a steal. He plays like he has the Clippers’ number, going at them with confidence and being attentive defensively.
Observations
This match left me still feeling optimistic when considering the big picture of the team’s progress in this season as a whole. Before the game, I told a friend that I was going to consider it a job well done if they could end the game within single digits of the Clips, and so they did.
After the Game Two fiasco, it was predictable that the Clippers were going to punch hard in this game, and I thought the Mavs held up to it remarkably well, particularly on the offensive end. The Mavericks were laboring under a couple of serious disadvantages — Luka having a bad night, and then Luka getting hurt and not being able to play for most of the fourth quarter. Porzee, Seth, and THJ put in a determined effort to get their team back in it, but it was a tough ask.
Kawhi pretty much willed the Clips to win this game, and he is close to unstoppable. I don’t know if the Mavs have made the right decision not to double-team him, but with all the shooters LA has, it’s a pick-your-poison situation. The Dallas defense still could stand an upgrade of about a tier, but that may be an issue for another day.
Despite the loss, I was proud of the guys for hanging in there until the end, and think they have many bright seasons ahead!
Next. Game Four, on Sunday at 2:30 Central Time. Hope Luka will be available!
Luka Sprains Ankle; Dallas Shows Strength in Loss
The Clippers appeared to take the Mavericks seriously for the first time in the series, and they were intent on making a statement. On the back of their superstar Kawhi Leonard, they did just that. Dallas fought hard and played well offensively, but their defense was not quite up to the task.
Game Story
Porzingis and Burke appeared again on the injured list, but both were again able to play. Rick went with his usual playoff starting lineup. Patrick Beverley was out again for the Clippers, and Doc elected to use Landry Shamet in his place, rather than going with Reggie Jackson again.
Both teams came out fighting in the first quarter, and the game was played very evenly. At 4:27, Luka and Montrezl Harrell got tangled up, and were called for double fouls. Montrezl started jawing, Luka reacted, and both were assessed technicals. Luka appeared rattled, and it was time for him to be subbed out anyway. The other Mavs battled to a 23-23 draw after one.
The second period, was, as Carlisle would say, the Mavs’ undoing. They allowed 45 points, the most the team has ever allowed in a playoff quarter in its history. The Clippers shot over 60% from the field, and paraded to the line, hitting 12 of 13 FTAs in the quarter. The Mavericks hung in until 4:55, when they suffered a two-and-a-half-minute run including three turnovers, KP tipping a jump ball with Kawhi to Shamet, a missed three, and two missed free throws. Toward the end of the frame, Luka was fouled on a three-point try, but missed two of the free throws. The scoreboard read 68-54 in the Clippers’ favor at halftime.
The deficit remained in double digits for almost all of the third period. With four minutes left, Luka crumpled to the floor, clutching his ankle, left the court, and literally hopped to the locker room. His teammates were within 1.4 seconds of playing the quarter to a draw, when Burke lost the ball taking it down the court, and Shamet picked it up and banked in an improbable 25-ft running pull-up three at the buzzer. Such a microcosm of the game. 102-85 Clips.
Luka had been diagnosed with an ankle sprain, but showed up to play in the fourth. After three minutes, he signaled that he needed to come out, and hopped off again. It was announced that he would not return. His teammates made a little run, eventually carving the disadvantage from 18 to 8 halfway through the period. For the remaining minutes, the Clippers were able to match whatever the Mavs threw at them, and Dallas were fortunate to end the contest within single digits.
Analytics
The Mavs were -12 on points from twos, +9 on points from threes, and -5 on made free throws. The Clippers just hit a few more shots, and the Mavs missed 7 free throws, with Luka accounting for six of the misses. The scoreline probably makes the game look a little closer than it really was, as the Clips led by double digits for most of the last 27 minutes. The shots weren’t falling in the first half (5-19 from deep), and the defense just couldn’t keep up for 48 minutes.
Players
KP (38 min) - Kristaps had an outstanding offensive game, putting up 34 points and 13 rebounds, and hitting some very difficult shots. He was quite efficient, shooting 11-18 from the field, 5-9 from long range, and 7-7 from the line. Defensively, I have to say he was just okay, not doing as good a job at protecting the rim as one would hope. In the first quarter, he got into it a bit with Morris, but managed to put his shoulders back and maintain his composure for the rest of the game. He remarked after the game that he was proud that the team gave themselves a chance by continuing to fight, and I have to agree that they never put their heads down in this match.
THJ (38 min) - Tim also did his job on the offensive end, contributing a career playoff-high 22 points on pretty good shooting (9-19, 4-10 from three), and adding 6 rebounds and 2 assists. He led the Mavs with 13 points in the third quarter.
Maxi (35 min) - The man from Wurzburg had only 5 points and 4 rebounds, and had Kawhi as his defensive assignment for the entire time he was on the floor. He played Leonard pretty well, but Kawhi is a freight train that no one guy is stopping. Rick said that his instructions to Maxi and DFS were that they were not to worry about scoring — their sole focus was to be on guarding KL and PG. So, I’m not blaming Maxi for not contributing offensively, and defending KL for the whole game probably leaves him too exhausted to make his threes. However, it does raise the question of whether it is the best decision to have a starter who gives you nothing offensively when his man is tearing you up in any event. If not for Maxi’s defense, maybe Kawhi would have had 60 points — it wouldn’t shock me, but the issue remains. This is not to bash Maxi at all — just to consider the decisions Rick is bound to be facing.
DFS (31 min) - Doe-Doe had a respectable stat line (11-7-4), and his defensive assignment Paul George was terrible (3-16, 11 points). George seems to be pretty much off in this tournament so far, but Dorian has something to do with it. DFS probably did his job, as far as Rick was concerned.
Seth (31 min) - Curry was sizzling in this game, scoring 22 points (a career playoff high) on 9-11 shooting, along with 3 assists and a steal. It was really a shame to see this performance wasted in a loss. Seth has been excellent in this series — I believe 20-31 is his shooting record, and Rick has been impressed with his scrappy defense. He and Tim stepped up in Luka’s absence, and it was fun to see Seth dazzle on the floor.
Luka (29 min) - Oh, Luka. Even before he got hurt, he didn’t look good. Not bad, just sort of off. He scored only 13 points, completed only 4 of 14 attempts, was 1-6 from beyond the arc, and missed 6 of his 10 FTAs. Yikes. To some extent, it seemed like the Clippers’ cheap shots and dirty play were getting to him, and that is indeed the Clippers’ game. It is too bad the refs permit this stuff. Of course, the bigger story was his ankle injury. Rick was not certain how bad it is, but they will know more after results of an MRI on Saturday. Luka deemed it as “not that bad.” We’ll hope for the best.
Burke (16 min) — Trey did an admirable job filling in for Luka, chipping in 10 points off the bench to go with 3 assists and a steal. He plays like he has the Clippers’ number, going at them with confidence and being attentive defensively.
Observations
This match left me still feeling optimistic when considering the big picture of the team’s progress in this season as a whole. Before the game, I told a friend that I was going to consider it a job well done if they could end the game within single digits of the Clips, and so they did.
After the Game Two fiasco, it was predictable that the Clippers were going to punch hard in this game, and I thought the Mavs held up to it remarkably well, particularly on the offensive end. The Mavericks were laboring under a couple of serious disadvantages — Luka having a bad night, and then Luka getting hurt and not being able to play for most of the fourth quarter. Porzee, Seth, and THJ put in a determined effort to get their team back in it, but it was a tough ask.
Kawhi pretty much willed the Clips to win this game, and he is close to unstoppable. I don’t know if the Mavs have made the right decision not to double-team him, but with all the shooters LA has, it’s a pick-your-poison situation. The Dallas defense still could stand an upgrade of about a tier, but that may be an issue for another day.
Despite the loss, I was proud of the guys for hanging in there until the end, and think they have many bright seasons ahead!
Next. Game Four, on Sunday at 2:30 Central Time. Hope Luka will be available!