NBA In-Season Tournament: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving Dominate as Dallas Mavs Crush LA Clippers
DALLAS — In their second-ever NBA In-Season Tournament matchup, the Dallas Mavericks won 144-126 against the Los Angeles Clippers. As a result, the Mavs improved their record to 7-2 on the season, while the Clippers dropped to 3-5.
"I think it was a great bounce-back game," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "I thought the guys, again, executed the game plan. I thought everybody participated, but I thought Luka [Doncic] set the tone and Kai (Kyrie Irving) — those two set the tone tonight, and the guys followed."
All of the initial momentum was in the Clippers' favor as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead. With Luka Doncic often attacking downhill, the Mavs quickly responded to take a 15-14 lead midway through the period.
"I think it was more that we sent them to the free-throw line," Kidd said. "They were in the bonus with seven minutes or so, and that's hard to do against a group like that that's going to isolate you and drive the ball. You've got to not foul. I thought once we got past the first half of that first quarter, I thought we were pretty good."
Along with Kawhi Leonard, James Harden heated up to set the tone for the Clippers in the first quarter. The two superstars scored double-figures in the opening period and outscored the Mavs together. Los Angeles led 31-19 at one point, but it unraveled epically before halftime, with Dallas picking up its defensive execution.
“It was great. It was our defense, and we had the pace," Doncic said. "We said before this game that we need to run, so that’s what we did.”
After the Mavs had fallen down double-figures, Kyrie Irving pulled off a personal 8-0 to close the opening period with a pair of made 3s and free throws. Dallas ended the period trailing just 33-30 as a result. The Mavs carried the momentum into the second quarter, putting up 47 points in the period and outscoring the Clippers by a 29-point margin to lead 77-51 at the break.
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic throwing a pass against the LA Clippers.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
“A bit of luck that they weren't making shots, but outside of that, I feel like we were making them play in the halfcourt a little bit more than they anticipated," Irving said. "They’re a great one-on-one, individual team, and I think they know that in that locker room. So, we wanted to make an emphasis tonight that they had to play through each other.
"They’re a new group, so we just wanted to take advantage of some of their mistakes in transition and make the game easier on ourselves by getting our in transition. Not necessarily call a bunch of plays, but just be in the right positions out there offensively to take advantage of their defensive mistakes.”
The Clippers finally scored in double figures in the second quarter with just 3:07 left on the clock after Ivica Zubac finished in the paint. Both Doncic and Irving broke the 20-point threshold in the first half. The Slovenian superstar finished with 27 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Irving totaled 20 points and four rebounds.
Dante Exum provided a spark off the bench in the first half as an on-ball defender and received playing time alongside Irving and Doncic to begin the second quarter. Derrick Jones Jr. also provided plenty of impact by doing the dirty work on both ends.
With Dereck Lively II returning from a one-game absence caused by illness, the Mavs ended up deploying 11 total players before halftime. The Mavs even provided playing time to rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper.
As of the 9:11 mark of the third quarter, Doncic (37 points) and Irving (23 points) had combined to outscore the Clippers 60-59. There was simply no coming back for Los Angeles, given how significant of a deficit it had become.
The Clippers did achieve enough of a rallying effort to prompt the Mavs to bring starters Doncic, Jones, and Tim Hardaway Jr. back into the game midway through the fourth quarter. Regardless, Dallas' lead was just too great.
“I would say defense and the pace we have," Doncic said. "I think our defense was good today, just a little bit too much fouling. But the pace we had was great.”
Doncic finished with 44 points, six rebounds, and six assists, with only one turnover. He did so while shooting 17-21 shooting from the field, 6-9 from deep, and 4-4 on free throws. The Mavs received 27 points, six rebounds, and three assists from Irving, helping to set the tone.
The Mavs continued to receive a strong impact from Derrick Jones Jr., who chipped in 11 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points and added three rebounds and three assists to provide a spark off the bench.
Dallas nearly proceeded 50/40/90 shooting splits as a team by converting 52.0 percent from the floor, 45.2 percent from deep, and 88.5 percent on free throws.
The Mavs return to action on Sunday to play the first matchup of two games against the New Orleans Pelicans, beginning a four-game road trip.
