Game Information: Game Two
Where: AdventHealth Arena, Happiest Place on Earth, Orlando, FL
When: Wednesday, August 19, 6pm PT
How to Watch: Prime Ticket, TNT
Projected Starting Lineups
Mavericks: Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Kristaps Porzingis, Maxi Kleber
Clippers: Patrick Beverley, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Morris, Sr., Ivica Zubac
Injuries
Mavericks: Jalen Brunson (Out), Dwight Powell (Out), Courtney Lee (Out), Willie Cauley-Stein (Out)
Clippers: None (!!)
The Big Picture
As Paul George said in his post game interview, this series – and the playoffs in general – will be a marathon. While Clippers fans were likely stressed by the closeness of Game 1, we probably should not have been so surprised by an intense game — it’s the playoffs. I also took notice of a small nugget of strategy that George gave us during that interview: the Clippers are willing to give Luka action if it means that he is getting worn down. Instead of stopping him, they just need to contain him and prevent his supporting cast from getting hot.
Luka Doncic scored 42 points (13/21), made 14/15 free throws, and had nine assists and seven rebounds. But he also played 38 minutes and had 11 turnovers, which goes to George’s points. Although he filled the box score, the Clippers might be willing to swallow his production if it means that he will not be as fresh as we go through the series. It’s also notable that the Clippers used Morris on Doncic often, which saves Kawhi Leonard and George for future games.
Moreover, we might be tempted to give the Clippers a pass on their struggles throughout Game 1 when we consider the foul trouble they experienced. Patrick Beverly was limited because of fouls and Clippers in general gave the Mavericks 24 free throws. Reggie Jackson also had a very rough night, going 0/5 from the floor, so we can assume he will return to the mean over the next few games (Editor’s Note: Can we?).
Game 1 Takeaways
As we saw in Game 1, the Clippers are still shoring up a few areas; specifically, Montrezl Harrell is still getting into game shape and Patrick Beverly is not completely calibrated. Moreover, the Clippers did not get anything from Landry Shamet and Reggie Jackson was a little too reckless with his shot selection. Assuming that not much will change between Monday and Wednesday, these weaknesses in the Clippers’ supporting cast will continue to provide opportunities for the Mavs.
Furthermore, if you look at how the Clippers pulled off Game 1, we see more room for concern. Notably, Marcus Morris, Sr. had his best game as a Clipper, adding 19 points on 8/13 shooting. Other than Morris, the Clippers were overwhelmingly dependent on Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Lou Williams. If the Clippers are likewise reliant on those three players for the majority of the scoring output, they ought to be nervous. For all of the talk about the Clippers’ depth, we did not see it on Monday. We cannot expect Morris to be so productive again, and one of the Clippers’ ‘big three’ could easily have an off night, so the Clips might be on thin ice without adjustment.
Finally, Luka Doncic was without his partner-in-crime for a large part of the second half, yet nonetheless almost pulled off the surprising win. If Porzingis finishes Monday’s game, are we sure that the Clippers come back? He had 14 points in 20 minutes and was getting the Clippers in foul trouble.
These takeaways from Monday’s game ought to remind the Clippers that they cannot take a night off — especially if they want to get through the Mavericks quickly. Game Two of Clippers-Mavericks will either prove that the Clippers are not ready, or that they just needed a game to knock off the rust.
Notes
- How limited will Montrezl be? Harrell played just shy of 15 minutes in Game 1, and I have no reason to believe his minutes restriction is ready to be lifted quite yet. As Doc noted postgame, Montrezl is getting his mind back just as much as he is getting into game shape. Hopefully the Clippers will get a big enough lead early in Game 2 so Trez can be let free a bit more. Things were too tight on Monday to experiment.
- Zubac: Per pool reports (h/t Andrew Greif, LA Times), Doc expressed his pride in Ivica Zubac’s growth since last year. He was big in his 22 minutes, with 10 points and 10 rebounds (5 offensive). Sure, these numbers don’t jump off the page, but having him as a reliable roll partner with George and Leonard helps take the defensive pressure off of them as they drive downhill. Assuming Porzingis keeps his cool in Game 2, Zubac will be even more necessary to protect the rim and get rebounds.
- Earth to Shamet: With Patrick Beverly in foul trouble, one would have thought that we’d see a lot more of Landry Shamet — but we simply didn’t. He only played eight minutes and missed his only shot. He was so exciting last year, especially in the playoffs, so it’s a little disappointing to see him struggle to stay relevant. The Clippers won’t be able to grind through 16 playoff wins without at least a few big shooting nights from Landry, so hopefully he can get going soon. Game Two of Clippers-Mavericks, with the jitters out and Doc having a clue of the Mavs’ strategy, should be an opportunity to explicitly game plan to get guys like Shamet involved.
That’s it for this preview of Mavericks vs Clippers Game 2. Check out Lucas’ rooting interests for insight into the other games on the docket, check out the Game 1 reaction pod if you haven’t already, and prepare for what should be an entertaining Game 2!