Summary
The areas where LA found success in game 1 didn’t repeat themselves tonight, as the Mavericks tied the series against the Clippers in game 2. Specifically, as discussed in the 213Hoops preview for Game 2, Marcus Morris, Sr. came back to earth, as expected. He was still very effective, adding 14 points on 5/11 shooting, but did not hit as many timely jumpers as he did on Monday.
The Morris drop-off, of course, should be survivable. Harder to overcome, however, is a leg of the Clippers’ three-legged stool snapping off. Paul George was the odd man out tonight, shooting 4/17 from the field and earning a -13 plus-minus. Kawhi Leonard had an efficient 35 points (10/21) and Lou Williams added 23 pts, but they were largely alone.
But although the Clippers ended up losing by 13, they were largely within comeback range throughout the game – even getting within two at the end of the third quarter. The damage – and ultimate margin of victory for the Mavs – was done in the third quarter, which they won by eight points after already securing a five point lead after the first half. The Mavs responded to the Clippers’ surge at the end of the third and opened it back up in the fourth, with Luka in foul trouble.
To the Mavericks’ credit, they shot much better than the Clippers in game 2. They were an even 50% from the field and 45% from three. The Clippers were perhaps lucky to be in the game for so long, given that they shot 44% and 29.4% respectively. Hardaway (17), Porzingis (23 points), Doncic (28), and three double-digit scorers off the bench (Burke, Curry, and Marjanovic) constituted the Mavericks’ output. In case it is not clear: that’s a long list of players who beat down the Clippers defense – and efficiently, at that.
Notes
Baby Beverly Come Back: As writer Justin Russo noted pre-game, the Clippers are much, much better with Patrick Beverly on the floor. I think that is intuitive for Clippers fans; however, if it wasn’t clear before the game, Reggie Jackson’s first five minutes tonight made Beverly’s value clear. Reggie was … not good to start tonight, which contributed to the Mavs’ early lead. (He did, to be fair, come back in to hit three three-pointers.) The Clippers, simply, need Pat back as soon as possible.
Second Unit: With Reggie in the starting lineup, the Clippers’ bench is not only less robust – it’s also less coherent. This is because it takes a ball handler out of the unit, putting more pressure on Lou (if he’s not already playing with the starters like how he did today). Aside from that wrinkle, Shamet continued to give the Clippers nothing (he only shot twice, even though he played 17 minutes) and Montrezl was only marginally better than Monday (10 points on 3/4 shooting and 4/10 from the line).
