20 more free throws and still losing! Irving's 20 points in a single quarter is difficult to save, what does Doncic say?

In the NBA playoffs, the Mavericks lost to the Clippers 97-109 away, especially in the second quarter, with only 8 points. In this game, the Clippers scored 36 points inside, while the Mavericks scored 32 points inside, but the visiting Mavericks made 33 free throws in this game, and the home team Clippers only made 13 free throws. The Clippers' defense in this game can be described as an iron wall, especially in the second quarter, which only allowed the Mavericks to score 8 points. Harden's team, which has never lost a series in G1 since '19, received the game ball for the game, but gave it to the fans when he left the court. Let's take a look at the post-match interview.

1. Irving: It was a pleasure to play against Harden

Irving played 39 minutes in this game, shooting 10 of 18, including 3 of 6 three-pointers and 8 of 9 free throws, and scored 31 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

In the third quarter, Irving scored 20 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal (including 2 of 2 three-pointers and 2 of 2 free throws) on 8-of-8 shooting, becoming the first player in history to score 20+ points in a single quarter of the playoffs without conceding a shot.

Speaking of Harden, Irving said: I think, Harden and I, we didn't have much chemistry when we were together, we played too little together. Against him this time, it can be seen that he is playing very hard. Now we're on a different team, and we're just going to be ready for Harden. He's strong in singles and he can make his teammates play better. I'm definitely missing him, but at the same time I'm happy for us to play.

2. Irving: The Clippers will have a period of psychological adjustment when the small card is absent

Speaking about facing the Clippers without a small card, Irving said: "This game is a mental game, like playing chess, like a high-level fighting match, a competitive game. When a player like Youngka, who has a big impact on the team, doesn't play, they have a period of psychological adjustment because it means they have to have someone else step up.

3. Irving: The playoffs are like a war

Speaking about the loss, Irving said: "It was a great test for us, but obviously we failed, I don't know if we were the favourites for this series, we weren't ready for the Clippers physical confrontation in the first 12 minutes of the game.

The playoffs are like a war. Of course, this is just a metaphor.

4. Irving: We let the Clippers play too comfortably

Irving said: I made the Clippers play too comfortably. In defending Zubac, the team has to be better prepared both physically and mentally.

Zubac played 33 minutes in this game, shooting 10 of 17 and 0 of 1 free throws to get 20 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block, with a plus/minus of +15. 20 of those points were a career-high in the playoffs, up from 18. The Mavericks' two big insiders, Gafford and Lively, combined for 6 points on 2-of-7 shooting.

5. Doncic: I didn't expect the small card to not play

Doncic played 42 minutes in this game, shooting 11-of-26, including 4-of-12 three-pointers, and scored 33 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists. In the past six playoff games against the Clippers, Doncic has averaged 35.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 10 assists per game, but the team is only 1-5.

When asked about the impact of his absence on their preparations, Doncic said: "We prepare based on his ability to play. But that shouldn't change our mindset. Their mentality is that one person falls and the next person comes on top. I think they've executed it really well.

6. Kidd: We reacted half a beat slower

Reflecting on the defeat, Kidd said: "We dug ourselves a big hole at the start, but on the positive side we were trying to chase points in the second half. We anticipated that the Clippers were going to give us a physical confrontation, and we just didn't respond to their physical confrontation in the first place.

7. Gafford : Not ready for the game

In this game, Gafford scored 3 points, 1 block, 0 rebounds on 1-of-4 shooting, and had a plus/minus of -8.

Speaking about his poor performance, Gafford said: "I'm not ready for the game, I have to do better.

8. Kidd: Gafford was a little nervous

Speaking about Gafford playing, Kidd said: "That's the way it is. This team's first playoff game can be tense. Kudos to the Clippers, they're the better team.

In this game, Gafford played 14 minutes, made 1 of 4 shots, 1 of 2 free throws, got 3 points and 1 block, did not grab rebounds, and had a plus/minus of -8.

9. Owen: Lou and I have changed

Speaking about playing against Tyronn Lue, Owen said: "As a player, I felt a little bit different from him and I could see that he gave some little hints to their players and I tried to capture every little detail so I could take it to the second game and make some adjustments.

He's grown into a leader, I've grown into a leader, he's not the Tyronn Lue that he used to be, I'm not the Irving I used to be, and now we're playing against each other as mature players, which is fun.

10. Wei Shao guards everything

In this game, Wei Shao scored 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 5 of 8. Defensive by him, the Mavericks shot just 33 percent from the field and 0 percent from three-point range.