The Dallas Mavericks may not have won their playoff debut against the heavily favored Los Angeles Clippers, but they freed themselves up pretty well in the heat of the moment. Despite Kristaps Porzingis’ controversial outburst in the third quarter and an early injury to Luka Doncic, Dallas maintained a double-edged lead at one point and kept the game competitive until the fourth quarter. However, the Clippers pulled through the end, 118-110, due to their superior depth and an unbelievable night of their superstars. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined for 56 Clippers points.
But when one of the evenings stood out, it was Luke. The Mavericks sophomore set the record for most points in a playoff debut with 42 on 13-of-21 shots, and the Mavericks needed one each. They scored just 46 points in almost half an hour after Porzingis was sent off. The Mavericks needed Doncic to be a superstar last night, and he more than got through. With Porzingis returning for Game 2, Dallas should feel good about his chances against the Clippers for the rest of the series.
1. Maybe this Luka is actually just such a bad matchup?
Confirming bias is a dangerous thing. We got the assumption this year that Leonard and George would be wandering bigger wings like Doncic, and when they kept Luka to just 4-of-14 shots in their first matchup of the season, that assumption was confirmed. It was the answer we expected, so we never investigated it further. But in Doncic’s next two matchups with the Clippers, Doncic averaged 32.5 points on strong shooting numbers. The basketball world ignores it. The case was already closed.
And now we have to reopen it. The Clippers threw the kitchen center at Luka. Leonard, George and Patrick Beverley all took turns on him. As for the 11 circumstances, his performance with Porzingis can not be seen as anything less than a total victory. If you can score 42 points on the Clippers, you can score 42 points on anyone. He will not shoot 13-of-21 from the field every night, but he does not have to. Dallas will shoot better as this series progresses. Porzingis is a true mismatch for the Clippers. The only real concern for the Mavericks that officially entered this series was how their maestro would go against the best collection of wing defenders on Earth. He did the test. They may not get any stops in this series, but Dallas will be able to score. Their supposed matchup issues are not nearly as serious as we expected.
2. Montrezl Harrell is not ready
The Clippers can live with Montrezl Harrell scoring just six points. They can not live with him and play 15 most lifeless minutes. Harrell is a spark plug. His energy is infected and the driver of most of their success of the bank. He may not be able to start with games, but he will finish them off if it counts. The Lakers have no issues with Ivica Zubac and JaMychal Green. Harrell will become a 30-minute player in the biggest games of the postseason.
No one expected him to be in perfect condition in the playoff opener. This will be a competitive series so the Clippers have game time to get him up to speed. But it should be clear at this point that they are not yet at 100 percent. They will not be there until Harrell is in good condition for basketball after season. If he is not in time for their likely battle with Western Conference Finals with the Lakers, the Clippers will be in serious trouble.
Playoff P finally lives up to the name
Most of Paul George’s dubious reputation is in doubt. His shooting drops a bit, but his overall performance is generally in line with what he has done in the regular season. But if you give yourself the nickname “Playoff P”, the bar increases. George has not won a series since 2014. His fourth quarter in that span have gone badly for the most part. George shot 28.6 percent from the field in clutch minutes against Utah in the 2018 playoffs, which was an improvement on his 20 percent display against Cleveland in 2017.
Game 1s of the first round will not silence all skeptics, but George was essential in the fourth quarter of this one. He made four of his six attempts in the final frame, including the 3-point dagger with 42.6 seconds left to continue the game. Anything less than a championship will be a disappointment for George, but hey, it never hurts to pave your CV a little earlier in the postseason.
