On April 17, Beijing time, the 2021-22 NBA playoffs ushered in the first game day. In one of the earliest Western Conference showdowns, the Lone Rangers were challenged by the Jazz at home. The two sides did not win until the end of the quarter, and the Lone Rangers eventually lost to the Jazz 93:99, failing to make the playoff start.
The Lone Rangers finished 52-30 in the regular season, placing them in Fourth place in the West, which helped them have first-round home advantage in this year's playoffs. But the first defeat cost the Lone Rangers that advantage, and in fact, in the last 3 seasons, the Lone Rangers have rarely won home games in the playoffs. According to statistics, counting today's game, the Lone Rangers' home record in the past 3 seasons is 1 win and 6 losses!
In the 2019-20 season, Doncic made his playoff debut against the Clippers. In the first two games, he led the Lone Rangers to 1 win and 1 loss. Back at home, they lost G3 and then narrowly beat the Clippers 135-133 in overtime! Doncic slashed 43 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists, and staged a final-minute whistle-blowing kill, which was also the only home win for the Lone Rangers in the past three seasons. The Lone Rangers then lost consecutive games to G5 and G6, with G6 playing at home.
In the 2020-21 season, Doncic led the Lone Rangers again to meet the Clippers in the first round. The Lone Rangers took a 2-0 advantage away from home, but returned home to lose back-to-back G3 and G4! After winning the G5 on the road, the Mavericks then lost G6 at home and G7 on the road, and were eliminated by the Clippers again 3:4, with the Lone Rangers losing all three home games.
It has to be said that how to win at home has become the most difficult problem for the Lone Rangers at present. After today's game, Dinwiddie said: "We had a chance to win G1 at home, but we didn't win. I conceded 6 free throws today, but today's game proved that we can still go and compete with the Jazz without Doncic. ”
The two teams, G2, will play on April 19, a match that cannot be lost for the Lone Rangers. If they lose at home again, they will be at a 0-2 disadvantage, while G3 and G4 will play at home to the Jazz.