Luka Doncic Couldn’t Carry: Clippers vs. Mavericks Game One (August 17, 2020)
*Disclaimer: I did not get the chance to watch the first quarter and a half of this game, but my recap will be based on the box score of that time, as well as the second half.
The last game of the NBA’s quadruple header saw the two seeded Los Angeles Clippers take on the seven seeded Dallas Mavericks. While I was unfortunately unable to catch the first half of this game, I did manage to catch half number two.
Before I get into the game I was able to watch, let me go over what I got from the box score, and outside information, about the first half.
The Clippers were led by their usual tandem of Kawhi Leonard (29 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals) and Paul George (27 points), as well as some nice production from Marcus Morris (19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals). The big downside for them, however, was a complete lack of defense.
LA is usually known for their elite team defense, as well as individuals who are amazing defenders in their own right. Despite this, they gave up a whopping 69 points in the first half. Inexcusable for a potential championship contender.
While Luka Doncic (42 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals) did end the half with an absurd amount of turnovers, his innate ability to create offense for the Mavs was as clear as ever. Whether it was getting buckets or dishing out some gorgeous dimes, he was just all over the place. Some nice help from Kristaps Porzingis (14 points, 6 rebounds) meant the Mavs walked into the locker room at halftime with a 69-66 lead.
Both teams came out of the half struggling, but eventually found some flow on offense. However, as soon as the scrum between Doncic, Porzingis, and Morris came around, everything changed. Porzingis picked up a pretty lame technical foul in the first half, so when he was assessed with another technical foul after the shoving match, he was automatically ejected.
Without Porzingis on the floor, not only do the Mavs lose some height, but also their secondary scorer on offense. Not to mention the fact that he’s by far their best post defender. With him gone, Doncic was set to have a tall task ahead of him if Dallas wanted to have any chance in this one.
One major factor in the post-Porzingis Mavericks’ slow third quarter was a cold streak from three. They were hotter than a jalapeño in the first half, but it looked like they spent some time in the freezer at half time because they couldn’t hit anything. Aside from a late-in-the-shot-clock Doncic bomb, it was rough to watch.
Putting aside a couple open looks from deep for Dallas, the Clippers performed much better defensively in the third than they did in the first half. They broke out and took a small lead on the Mavs, although a lot of it was after Porzingis got thrown out. Whether or not the Unicorn would have made a difference, I don’t know, but the Mavs got a little overwhelmed at the start of the second half. It became pretty much entirely on Doncic to keep them in the game.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, things started getting close again. The Mavericks managed to find some semblance of a groove with the help of Tim Hardaway Jr. (18 points, 6 rebounds) and Boban Marjanovic’s (2 points, 8 rebounds) energy. Doncic got some much needed rest while his teammates kept the Mavs in the game.
As for the Clippers, George really helped them out early on in the fourth. There was no one on the floor who could really stop him. LA ran a lot of pick n’ roll with George and Montrezl Harrell (6 points), and this exposed some of the defensive shortcomings of Dallas. Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke (2 points) were thrown into a hard screen while Marjanovic was left to defend two-on-one in the paint. Solid offense by the Clips.
Morris was matched up on Doncic for a lot of the game, and while Doncic did end up having a spectacular game, Morris didn’t look too bad up against him. I’m not exactly sure why Doc Rivers didn’t put Leonard or George on the Mavs superstar, but maybe that’s something to change in the future. Props to Morris, though, for keeping up with one of the best players in the league.
Despite the praise, the reason I bring this up is because once Doncic checked back in midway through the fourth, he was back in full force. The Clippers were keeping up as a team, and the game was always within a couple points, but Dallas’ production was almost always running through Doncic. Just like the first half, he was either getting a bucket or creating one for a teammate. He truly is a special talent.
The final few minutes of the game seemed like a mess all around. Dallas was scrambling to get back into it off of a couple missed layups from Lou Williams (14 points, 5 assists), and in the end they rushed some possessions. Then when they needed a stop the most, George nailed a deep three right in their face. Although there was still room for a comeback, that ultimately put the nail in the coffin on this one.
Doncic tried his best to fight until the end, but LA was just too much to handle. If Porzingis never fouled out, the game could have gone a lot differently, but I guess we’ll never know. I just hope the rest of the games in this series are as competitive as this one is. However, if I’m being honest, I fully expect Doc Rivers to get the Clippers’ defense back into tip top shape for game two.
The Clippers go up 1-0 in this series with the 118-110 victory over the Mavericks. Make sure to tune in for game two of this series which will take place on Wednesday, August 19th at 9:00 PM EST.
