On April 24, Beijing time, in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs G2, the Clippers hosted the Mavericks, with a 1-0 lead, Clippers leader Leonard also ushered in a comeback, and Xiaoka also played with an injury, it seems that the Clippers want to end the series as soon as possible. But Kidd is the ghost coach, and he took the initiative to change his tactics, let the interior Gafford defend the perimeter, and asked Doncic to name Harden. In the end, the Mavericks also relied on Doncic and Irving's excellent play in the fourth quarter to chase the big score to 1-1.
In the first quarter, Jones dunked for the Mavericks to score first, and the Clippers' George dunked with one arm, and the two teams faced each other in the opening game, but the Mavericks' Doncic exploded, and he continued to score to help the team widen the difference, and after hitting a three-pointer, the Mavericks led by 7 points at 18-11. The Clippers' Wei Shao made foul free throws, and George also hit both free throws, and the difference gradually narrowed, and as George hit a mid-range shot, the first quarter ended, and the Clippers trailed by four points at 19-23. Doncic scored 12 points and 3 assists in a single quarter, and the Clippers' Harden was 0 of 2, Leonard was 0 of 2, Plumlee was 0 of 3, and Wei Shao was 0 of 2. Congratulations also need to be given to Harden, who surpassed Jordan's 1,022 total assists in the playoffs and ranks 12th all-time.
In the second quarter, Zubac dunked, Irving hit a mid-range, Leonard hit a mid-range shot, Powell hit a three-pointer, and the Clippers overtook the Mavericks 26-25. Irving and Doncic teamed up to lead the team to a 6-0 run, widening the difference again, Doncic named Harden, and the tactic worked. Harden responded from mid-range, Washington hit one of three free throws, and then drew a foul on the Clippers and hit both free throws. Harden broke through, Gafford sent the interference ball, Irving hit a three-point shot, George scored 2 points to stop the bleeding, Harden stepped back and shot, making it 2+1, Irving responded with a throw, Jones also hit the mid-range, Harden fast-break dunk, Mann made up for the dunk, and the Clippers chased it to 39-41. Doncic made two fouls and hit two free throws, George made three fouls, Jones scored a layup, Leonard hit a hook shot, Doncic missed a three-pointer from beyond the arc, and at halftime, the Clippers trailed the Mavericks by four points at 41-45.
In the third quarter, Leonard steals a fast-break dunk and looks in good physical condition, Irving hit a three-pointer, Doncic hit a mid-range shot, and the Mavericks led 50-43 to expand the score. Leonard scored on a throw-up, Harden finally hit a three-pointer, and Washington responded with a three-pointer from the bottom corner. As the game progressed, the Mavericks gradually widened the gap, and Irving made a rare fast-break dunk, and the Clippers trailed by seven points at 48-55. George hit a three-pointer, Leonard scored two points, Zubac hit both free throws, and the Clippers broke through to tie the gap 7-0. Doncic and Irving hit two unreasonable three-pointers in a row, Leonard scored, Zubac hit a free throw, and Willis hit a breakaway layup. The two teams were close in strength and started a tug-of-war, and at the end of the third quarter, the Clippers led the Mavericks by one point at 66-65.
In the fourth quarter, the Clippers blasted a 7-2 to stop the Mavericks, and Doncic then led the team to a 9-0 run, directly surpassing the Clippers by 3 points. Irving hit a three-pointer and then a throw-in to stop the bleeding for the Clippers, but Washington also hit a three-pointer from the bottom corner and Leonard hit one of two free throws. At the critical moment, the Mavericks' three-point firepower was too fierce, Doncic also hit a super long three-pointer, and there was no suspense in the game, and in the end, the Mavericks defeated the Clippers 96-93 and chased the big score to 1-1. For the Clippers, Harden had 22 points, six rebounds and eight assists, George had 22 points and Kawhi Leonard had 15 points. The Mavericks' Doncic had 32 points, six rebounds and nine assists, and Irving had 23 points and six rebounds.
After the Clippers lost to the Mavericks, the score was tied 1-1, and who can reach the Western Conference semifinals is also a relatively big suspense. And there are 2 groups of 2-0 in the West, all of which are one-sided, the Nuggets lead the Lakers 2-0, and the Timberwolves lead the Suns 2-0.