Luka Magic strikes again!!!
The Dallas Mavericks regain the lead in this roller coaster of a series, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 105-100 at the Staples Center. The road team is undefeated thus far in this series, so Mavs fans, hold on to your butts going in to Game 6 at home.
Luka Doncic was stunning last night, contributing on 83% of the Mavs field goals, which is an NBA playoff record. He is the nucleus, the engine, all the clichés you prefer, for this Dallas team. 42 points, 14 assists, 8 rebounds, all with an injured neck (which I’ve experienced before, and it is NOT fun).
He seemingly made every right play, despite seeing double and triple-teams. Luka is one cool cat, especially in late-game scenarios. I have the utmost confidence that he can single-handedly hold off a team like the Clippers in the fourth quarter, and that’s exactly what he did last night. The way he can manipulate a defender, making them ride his back as he slowly digs himself into the lane, followed by a pass to the corner or a wide-open floater, is of a true basketball savant.
Game 6 shall be a classic, be sure to tune in to what should be a spectacular game at the rocking American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Surprise Contribution
Although his numbers may not have shown it, but Dorian Finney-Smith was a huge reason the Mavs won last night.
Using his looooooong frame to his advantage, DFS plays spectacular on-ball defense, and held Kawhi Leonard to just 20 points last night.
Along with his 5 steals, pay attention to his defense on the last possession where Kawhi gets the ball.
Skip ahead to 2:55
Textbook close-out, making Kawhi visibly uncomfortable.
Biggest Concern
Even though he made a huge three to go up 10 with 2 minutes remaining, Kristaps Porzingis was practically useless all night.
I paid close attention to him during most of the game, and he seemed to purposely hide in the corner all game long, avoiding the ball. Sometimes he would creep behind his defender too, so he wouldn’t be open for a Luka drive-and-kick.
Something is clearly up with KP, he simply looks uninterested to play on the Mavericks. This is sad for everyone. Knowing that KP is taking a lot of heat from the media, which may be getting to him, and that he signed a giant 5-year deal with the team before even stepping on the court last season.
Seems to be a huge problem the Mavs will have to deal with this off-season, and things could get even worse for KP on the media front, if they lose this series in 7.
Next Game
Game #6 vs Los Angeles Clippers, June 4th at 8:00pm CT on ESPN
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MAVERICKS SHINE MAVERICKS SHINE MAVERICKS SHINE
