Mavs Vs. Clippers NBA Playoff Schedule - Details
The No. 7 seed Dallas Mavericks have released the schedule for their first-round playoff series with the No. 2 seed L.A. Clippers, which will open on Monday, Aug. 17 at 8 p.m. CT and be played inside the bubble in Orlando.
Game 1 will be broadcast live on ESPN and Fox Sports Southwest.
It's a very challenging matchup,'' coach Rick Carlisle said in a pregame session before Thursday afternoon's 128-102 Phoenix Suns win over Dallas in Orlando's NBA Bubble. "We'll learn a lot about ourselves as we beginning competing in the series.''
Games 2 and 3 of the series, which are scheduled for Wednesday, August 19, and Friday, August. 21, respectively, will also tip-off at 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on TNT and Fox Sports Southwest.
Game 4 will be played on Sunday, Aug. 23 at 2:30 p.m. CT and be carried exclusively by ABC.
If necessary, Games 5, 6 and 7 are scheduled for August 25, August 27 and August 29, respectively (game times and TV schedule TBD).
Fox Sports Southwest will broadcast all Mavericks opening-round games except for Game 4. All games will be carried live on ESPN 103.3 FM and Univision 1270 AM.
Dallas is set to make its 22 playoff appearance (first since 2016) in the franchise’s 40-year history. The Mavericks have now made the playoffs 16 times in the last 20 years.
The Clippers in 2019-20 won all three meetings with Dallas by an average of 11 points, and the stellar combo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are just the sort of two-way studs that can trouble for Luka Doncic (though he did average 29 points, seven rebounds and seven assists against L.A.). They've also managed Kristaps Porzingis, relatively speaking, as his numbers also dip a bit (18.3 points and 9.3 rebounds) against them.
"They're going to play well,'' Carlisle insisted of Luka and KP. "They're both our leaders of our team on the floor. They're going to be the central focus of the Clippers' defensive plan. ...
"In the playoffs, there is a level of discipline and patience required. You're going to see the kitchen sink thrown at you. We've got to do our best to prepare those guys for whatever comes their way.''
