Kawhi-less Clippers beat cold-shooting Mavericks in series opener
LOS ANGELES — Maybe the Clippers did have something to prove. Maybe they wanted to show that, unlike the past, injuries weren’t going to derail their goal.
Or maybe they simply were determined to gain the upper hand in their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon.
Whatever the reason, the Clippers had enough star power to defeat the Mavericks, 109-97, in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series even without Kawhi Leonard, who was ruled out because of inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee.
His status for Tuesday night’s Game 2 is undetermined. The two-time NBA Finals MVP hasn’t played since March 31.
The Clippers came out fast, starting the game with an urgency to show that they could win without their oft-injured star. And they did just that by making shots, riding a balanced attack, and containing the Mavericks’ star tandem of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving down the stretch.
Doncic still came up with a game-high 33 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, while Irving finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
James Harden, who the Clippers signed for moments like these, scored a team-high 28 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including six 3-pointers, to go with eight assists. Ivica Zubac had a playoff career-high 20 points and 15 rebounds and Paul George finished with 22 points and six rebounds. Russell Westbrook added 13 points off the bench.
The Clippers outdid the cold-shooting Mavericks at their own game, making 18 of 36 3-point shots compared to 10 of 33 for Dallas.
After leading by as many as 29 in the first half, the Clippers let down in the third quarter and began taking careless shots, such as Harden’s off-balance shot while falling and wasting possessions, such as a wild 3-point attempt as the shot clock ran down.
Doncic and Irving took advantage of their stumble and picked up their scoring after a quiet first half.
The Clippers, however, settled down and survived Irving’s 20-point third quarter to carry a 87-64 lead into the final quarter. Dallas had trailed by 26 at the half.
The Mavericks, however, didn’t go away quietly. They continued to chip away at the lead in the fourth and outscored the Clippers 10-2 to close to within 102-88 with 3:52 left. Dallas was helped by a technical on Zubac and a flagrant-1 foul for his subsequent actions after a second free throw attempt by Doncic. In all, it cost the Clippers four points after Doncic scored when the Mavs retained possession.
But Harden hit another 3-pointer, George scored four in a row and the Clippers closed out the win.
The Clippers came out with the kind of intensity that often marks the postseason, jumping out to a 16-9 lead prompting Kidd to call a quick time out. The Clippers were ready. The cold-shooting Mavericks not so much.
Behind Harden’s 3-point accuracy, the Clippers took that early lead and stretched it to 56-30 by halftime. Harden buried four of his long-range shots in the first half and had 20 points.
His energy was matched by Westbrook, who entered the game at the 4:39 mark of the first quarter and immediately hit a 3-pointer. Then Harden put on a show.
Harden followed Westbrook’s long-range shot with one of his own and then hit another to give the Clippers a 29-20 lead. His next shot was an 8-footer, and he followed that one with a 3-pointer to close out the opening quarter and give the Clippers a 34-22 lead.
Doncic and Irving were a combined 5 for 19 from the floor in the first half, as Terance Mann and Amir Coffey, who started in place of Leonard, led a defensive effort that held Dallas to 9 for 40 shooting from the field (2 for 18 from 3-point range) before halftime. The Mavericks shot 38.8% (31 for 80) for the game.
The teams are meeting in the playoffs for the third time in five years, with the Clippers having won both previous series.
More to come on this story.