George Finds a Rhythm: Clippers vs. Mavericks Game Five (August 25, 2020)
The Los Angeles Clippers took on the Dallas Mavericks in game five after Luka Doncic (22 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast) evened up the series with an insane game winner in game four. Both teams were looking to take the edge in this one.
Early on it was clear that the Clippers wanted to get Paul George (35 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast) going. His shooting struggles in this series are a huge reason the Clippers find themselves in a tied series, rather than being up. If he could get things going they would be in a prime position to win.
That being said, Dallas started off hot from deep as three different players had made at least one three pointer only five minutes into the game. Right off the bat this one looked like it was going to be a very close game, as Kawhi Leonard (32 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast) was looking good for the opposing Clippers, too.
LA’s dynamic duo was rolling in the first, as they helped the Clippers open up a pretty solid lead. Dallas’ defenders were having trouble stopping them on defense, especially considering how versatile they are. They combined to make ten of their first twelve shots.
The Clippers’ bench was absolutely electric in the first quarter per usual. No matter what was happening on the court they were getting hyped and trying to get into the heads of the Mavs. If Doncic turned it over, they’d be screaming. If Leonard made a shot, they’d get excited and start jumping up and down. They were providing all the energy LA needed to expand upon their lead in the first.
The Mavs were turning the ball over way too much in the first quarter, and it was absolutely killing them. Not only were they giving up the ball, but LA wasn’t missing anything. They shot well over 50% from the field and from deep in the first. All of that combined resulted in a massive lead for the Clips through one.
With Doncic taking a rest to start off the second, the Mavs had no one to generate offense. Seth Curry (4 pts, 2 ast) and Trey Burke (15 pts, 2 ast) tried to get things going, but the Clippers’ defense was too good. Montrezl Harrel (19 pts, 11 reb) was providing so much energy on and off the floor, and his squad was dominating.
That was the story of the second. Aside from a small run by the Mavs, the Clippers were just better. Not only were they playing great basketball, but they weren’t missing a single shot. There was only so much that Dallas could do when the other team was shooting that well from the field. It was noticeably demoralizing the Mavericks who looked like a mess on both ends of the floor.
The Mavs were getting super frustrated and the Clippers’ junkyard dog attitude was playing right into that. By the time the second quarter ended Tim Hardaway Jr. (19 pts, 3 ast), Marcus Morris (12 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast), and Doncic all had picked up a technical foul. The halftime score was ugly, with the Clippers up 76-52.
The third quarter opened up in a similar fashion to the rest of the game. George was on fire for LA and the Clips’ lead was hovering at around 30 points for a while. Rick Carlisle was going to have to pull off a miracle for his team to have a chance, but a barrage of threes from Dallas had the Mavs showing some sort of life.
This game was full of intensity and technical fouls. Carlisle got thrown out and Ivica Zubac (9 pts, 7 reb, 2 blk) picked up one in the third. The Mavs were desperately trying to mount a comeback and maybe they needed the intensity boost.
That being said, if that was the plan it did not work. The Clippers were unconscious shooting the ball and there was nothing Dallas could do. LA held another huge lead going into the final quarter of play.
Harrell made a three near the start of the fourth, and if he’s making three pointers, then you know the game’s over. The Mavs just had no answer for the Clippers in this one and the fourth quarter ended up being the same storyline as the rest of the game - all Clippers.
A huge bounce back game for George and the continued dominance of Leonard led the way for LA here. They took the game in convincing fashion, winning 154-111. Catch game six of this series on Thursday, August 27 at 9:00 PM EST to see if Doncic can get the Mavericks back on track.
