The Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks treated us to an exciting Game 1, with the potential of this first-round series being more competitive than initially expected. The Clippers are still heavy favorites, not just for this round but for the championship, but that close call in the form of a 118-110 win on Monday showed that the Mavs aren't going to be an easy team to get past. The Clippers got a balanced performance from its two stars, with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combining for 56 points, and down the stretch they just looked like the far superior team.
However, The Clippers allowed Dallas superstar Luka Doncic to set a new record for most points scored in an NBA playoff debut (42), showing that perhaps this team can only hope to slow him down and not completely stop him. L.A. also didn't have to face Kristaps Porzingis is much of the second half, as the sweet-shooting seven footer was ejected after receiving two questionable technical fouls. The Mavericks left Game 1 with some hope knowing that they could potentially hang with the Clippers in this series, especially since they only lost by eight with Porzingis out in the second half. Both teams will make adjustments for Game 2, as the Clippers look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. Here's everything you need to know about Game 2 between the Clippers and Mavericks.
Viewing information
Date: Wednesday, Aug. 19 | Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
Location: Disney Wide World of Sports -- Orlando, Florida
TV: TNT | Connected TV: TNT app
Odds (via William Hill Sportsbook): Clippers -6 | Over/Under: 229.5
Storylines
Clippers: L.A. got a quality performance from Marcus Morris, who ended the night with 16 points, six rebounds, fouls steals and finished the game a team-high plus-25. He was also the catalyst in getting Porzingis ejected, and while it wasn't intentional on his part, it likely won the game for the Clippers. When Morris and Doncic got into it in the third quarter, Dallas was up by five points, but when Porzingis left the game, L.A. was able to retake control of the game. One needed change that the Clippers may need to make in Game 2, is switching who is spending majority of the time defending Doncic. In Game 1, Beverley spent a bulk of the time guarding the second-year All-Star, and was clearly outmatched on several occasions. Doc Rivers may need to put one of his more defensively capable wings in Leonard or George on Doncic to keep him from replicating his 40-point performance in the first game.
Mavericks: Aside from the opening three minutes of the game, where Doncic committed five turnovers, which allowed the Clippers to get out to a 15-2 lead, Dallas played an impressive game. The Clippers allowed shooters like Seth Curry and Tim Hardaway Jr. to get off for 14 and 18 points respectively, and the Mavericks even got two 3s from deep bench reserve Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Dallas knows that L.A. will only get better over the course of the series, but the Mavericks proved that they can make this a competitive matchup. The only pause for concern is that K.P. is listed as questionable on the injury report from Tuesday evening with right knee soreness. That's the same knee that Porzingis tore his ACL in back in 2018, and if he isn't at full health for tonight's game, as well as the entirety of the series, then Dallas' chances to steal a couple games -- or win the series -- greatly diminish.