It’s been eight playoff games against the last two years, and the Los Angeles Clippers still have zero idea what the hell to do about Luka Doncic. The Dallas Mavericks will not complain about this, though, as their third-year superstar put on a show at the Staples Center on Tuesday night en route to a 127-121 win and a 2-0 series lead before the series shifts to the Lone Star State.
Doncic had one of his most impressive games of his young postseason career, scoring 39 points on 16-for-29 shooting and a 5-for-13 clip from the three-point line with seven rebounds and seven assists. This came despite attracting the ire of the Clippers’ top defenders, with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard hounding him throughout the game. The only thing he could not do, funny enough, was hit free throws, as he went 2-for-7 from the charity stripe.
In a sign of the 22-year-old’s mastery of the game, nothing seemed to matter. Doncic saw everything and responded, either by hitting some completely bonkers shots or setting up his teammates for clean looks.
Luka (39 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST) led the Mavs to another big win in LA ♨️ pic.twitter.com/FxUtfenaI9
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 26, 2021
He wasn’t the only Maverick to have a big night — Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kristaps Porzingis hit shot after shot, combining to go for 48 points on 17-for-26 shooting with a 9-for-12 clip from three. On the other side of things, Leonard (41 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals) and George (28 points, 12 rebounds, six assists) stuffed the stat sheet, but otherwise, Reggie Jackson (15 points) was the only Clipper to score in double-digits. And for the second game in a row, Los Angeles’ defense was wholly unable to prevent Dallas from getting hot from deep, as the Mavs went 18-for-34 from behind the three-point line.
Game 3 between the Mavericks and Clippers will tip off at 9 p.m. EST on Friday night. The game is set to be broadcast on ESPN.
