Three Takeaways From The Clippers’ Pivotal Game 3 Win Over The Mavs

There was a lot of chatter about the Blazers potentially being a nightmare first-round matchup for the Lakers, a narrative that gained traction after a stunning Game 1 win for Portland. But after a blowout victory for the Lakers in Game 2, some of that talk may have been inflated. The real marquee matchup in the opening round might just be between the Clippers and the Mavs.

It’d been a dogfight through the first two contests, with Kawhi Leonard reminding us why he’s one of the best in the game and Luka Doncic quickly and emphatically establishing himself as a historic talent. Beyond the two superstar duos, both squads are loaded, and their respective supporting casts have made a major impact in the series.

But the Clippers seized control of the series on Friday night, taking Game 3, 130-122, behind a monster effort from Kawhi once again, as he finished with 36 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and one monster flush.

Here’s what else we learned from Game 3 on Friday night.

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One, But The Clippers Are DEEP

The Clippers led by 14 points at halftime, thanks in part to an 8-point outburst from Lou Williams off the bench in the second quarter and 18 first-half points from Kawhi, who shot 7-for-11 to start the game. But they also got eight points from Marcus Morris, nine points from Ivica Zubac, and eight points from Landry Shamet in the first half, including his vicious jam on Boban Marjanovic.

Shamet was finished, as he drained a buzzer-beater to end the third quarter and give the Clippers a 17-point lead heading into the final frame. He would finish with 18 points on the night.

You never know where it’s going to come from with the Clippers. In most cases, it’s coming from everywhere, all at once. They had seven total players in double-digit scoring, and Los Angeles was just too much on Friday night, on both ends of the court.

Luka Had A Rough One By His Lofty Standards

Luka made history in his first two playoff games, scoring 70 total points, besting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the second-highest mark for any player in their first two postseason outings, just behind George Mikan. But even before the injury that caused him to check out of the game early, he somewhat came crashing back to Earth on Friday night.

It was a tough start for Luka in this one, as he went 3-for-9 in the first quarter and 1-for-4 from three. He was also 1-for-5 from the free throw line to start. Credit, of course, goes the Clippers’ stingy defense for making life difficult on Luka and the rest of the Mavs.

But Doncic was getting it done in other ways, and before leaving the game with an injury in the fourth quarter, he posted a triple-double: 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Luka went down late in the third quarter with a leg injury and had to hop to locker room as he was unable to put any pressure on his ankle. He quickly returned and checked back into the game in the fourth quarter, but was visibly wincing, and mercifully exited the game for good after that. The Mavs are still awaiting the x-ray results.

Kristaps Porzingis (34 points, 13 rebounds) stepped up to help shoulder the load, as did Seth Curry, who had a career playoff high 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting and perfect 4-for-4 shooting from downtown.

What’s Up With Paul George?

PG started the game 2-for-10 from the field, including 1-for-5 from downtown. And it didn’t get much better from there.

George has had a nightmare start to the postseason. He finished the game with 11 points on 3-for-16 shooting and 1-for-8 from behind the arc. It’s third straight game that George has shot woefully from the field, and both he and the Clippers have to be wondering what exactly is going on. It’s not worth panicking over yet, but it’ll be something to keep an eye on as this series goes on.

Until then, Los Angeles will have to continue to rely on their considerable roster depth while George finds his shot. The Mavs will try to even the series when Game 4 tips off on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.