Three Takeaways from the LA Clippers' Game 6 Win over the Dallas Mavericks
In the most improbable fashion (they literally had to make NBA history to do it), the LA Clippers forced a Game 7 in their First-Round series against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, winning Game 6 104-97.
The aforementioned historical ground that the Clippers and Mavericks broke came in the form of road wins: this series marks the first time ever that neither team has won on their home floor through six games. For the third time in the series, LA came into Dallas (this time facing elimination) and overcame Luka Doncic and his supporting cast of knockdown shooters and versatile bigs. They once again won with defense (in addition to Kawhi Leonard’s offensive greatness), holding Dallas to just 41.6% shooting (32.4% from three). LA was also earning a ton of wide-open looks from three, but they couldn’t convert, going just 10-34 from the promised land. Were it not for a complete takeover from their best player, LA might’ve been heading back home to pack for vacation rather than to play in a Game 7.
Kawhi Leonard gives an all-time performance
If the only thing Leonard contributed on Friday night was the stellar defensive effort he put forth, both on Luka Doncic and as a disrupter in passing lanes, Head Coach Tyronn Lue would’ve still been pleased with his star, though the game might’ve turned out differently. However, Leonard also tacked on quite possibly the greatest postseason performance in Clipper history, and this ultimately made the difference and saved his team’s season.
Leonard went for an absurd 45 points on 18-25 shooting, including 5-9 from deep, to go along with six rebounds, three assists and two steals. This total tied his postseason career-high, and paired him with Bob McAdoo as the only other player in Clipper franchise history to score at least 45 points in a postseason game. It was a virtuoso performance, highlighting Leonard’s entire offensive package, from mid range jumpers to baseline dunks to step-back threes.
LA needed all 45 of Leonard’s points to overcome Dallas. He truly began heating up in the second half, scoring 17 points in the third quarter alone, but Dallas still won the quarter by seven thanks to lapses in LA’s defense and some costly turnovers. In the fourth, LA made it a point to hunt Doncic down in pick-and-roll, having whomever he was guarding set a screen for Leonard in order to force a switch. Once Leonard had Doncic on him, he put him in the torture chamber, hitting two impossible step-back threes over him that were well defended, effectively putting the game out of reach with under two minutes to go. Leonard was a perfect 5-5 from the field overall in the fourth quarter, fighting off LA’s usual clutch-time woes.
As he often is, Leonard was masterfully efficient in the most inefficient zone in basketball, going 6-7 from anywhere inside the arc but outside the paint. Overall, Leonard was 13-16 from two-point range, hitting difficult shot after difficult shot. In a high-pressure situation like an elimination game, where defenses are at their peaks and teams have had five games to study their opponent’s tendencies, sometimes the game simply comes down to which team has the best player, and whether that player can find a way to score no matter what is thrown at him. Doncic was that player in games 1, 2, and 5, but Leonard was far and away the best player on the court on Friday.
Kawhi Leonard Shot Chart
“That’s a one of one right there,” Paul George said of his teammate’s superstar performance after the game. “You saw one of the best, if not the best, two-way players at his best. It was fun to watch.”
Paul George battles through a rough night
Speaking of George, he gave a less-than-stellar performance, shooting just 6-15 from the field and turning the ball over five times. Even so, he found ways to be effective, leading his team in both rebounds (13) and assists (six), and getting to the foul line ten times. He found his footing in the fourth quarter, going for eight points (3-4 shooting), four rebounds and two blocks, and kept LA afloat while Leonard was on the bench. Other than a rough second quarter in Game 6, George and the Clippers have been excellent all series in the non-Doncic minutes to start the second and fourth quarters.
“I’ve got to do more,” George said. “I’ve got to be better. We can’t put that pressure on [Leonard] on a nightly basis.”
George is right: the Clippers cannot bank on Leonard scoring 40+ again in Game 7. They also have to factor in the possibility that Doncic could go off for somewhere around that figure, though Lue has reiterated that they’d rather have Doncic try to beat them himself than allow the entire team to get going. If the Clippers hope to close out this series, they’ll need a solid performance from George on Sunday. George has expressed that he and the team have struggled to get up for early games this season, so he’d better get a good night’s sleep on Saturday for Sunday’s 12:30 tipoff.
Reggie Jackson validates Lue’s decision
Reggie Jackson started for the fourth-straight game of the series in Game 6, with Lue once again electing to go with offensive creation over Patrick Beverley’s defense (Beverley was getting cooked by Doncic anyway). Jackson repaid him with his best scoring performance of the series so far, dropping 25 points on 8-15 shooting.
Jackson kept the Clippers afloat in the first quarter. Leonard had yet to heat up (just three points on three shot attempts from him despite playing the entire quarter (maybe he was just charging up)), and Jackson carried them with 14 points on 6-8 shooting, including 2-3 from downtown.
“I just came out prepared,” Jackson said after the game. “It's just fun, having your back against the wall. Coming out punching with your teammates, doing something, your band of brothers, something you worked tremendously hard all year for and you get to this point.”
Jackson gives LA another pick-and-roll creator when Dallas denies Leonard or George the ball. His dribble-penetration also gives his team another option with which to punish the Mavericks when they go big with Boban Marjanovic at center next to Kristaps Porzingis. If that weren’t enough, his three-point accuracy (and willingness to shoot) poked a hole in the Mavericks’ zone defense on Friday.
LA will require proficient performances from Leonard, George and Jackson on Sunday. The Clippers have continued to bank on their three-point shooting eventually rising back to their regular-season brilliance, but so far they’ve only shot over 40% from deep once throughout the series. Getting to the basket and drawing fouls could be the difference-maker in Game 7, so it’ll be up to their three primary ball-handlers to grind it out.
Game 7 tips off on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on ABC.
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