Leonard is back in action
Without Leonard, the Los Angeles Clippers still beat the Dallas Mavericks, and although Doncic and Irving stepped up, no one else on the team stepped up. Doncic vs. the Clippers and Irving vs. Tyronn Lue are old rivals who know each other, but there is a difference. Time has passed, and they are no longer the original themselves. Doncic has become stronger, Irving has become calmer, the Clippers have Harden Less, Tyronn Lue's city has become unfathomable, and what has not changed is their pursuit of a championship.
In the second game of the series, Leonard ushered in his return, and the Clippers were more confident, as long as the Big Four appeared on the court healthy, then the team was not afraid of any opponent. Irving and Doncic can do better, and the key question is whether the Mavericks' role players can step up.
The Clippers fight the Mavericks again
At the beginning of the first quarter of the game, Doncic was full of firepower, 12 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 1 block on 4-of-9 shooting, without a single turnover, Doncic did not score, and Gafford was injured and left the game, but the team still scored 23 points in a single quarter, and limited the Clippers to 19 points, including George 8 points, 1 assist and 1 block on 3-of-5 shooting, Harden was 3 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, Zubac was troubled by fouls and did not have any data to score, Leonard, who had just returned, did not score on 0 of 2 shots, and only had 1 steal in the data column。
After returning from the second quarter, Zubac took the lead in scoring a dunk, Irving broke the scoring drought with a quick stop from mid-range, Leonard also opened from mid-range, and Powell hit a three-pointer to help the Clippers take a one-point lead. Lively received a dunk in the air, Doncic scored a layup, and then threw it, Harden also scored in the middle distance, Washington hit one of three free throws, and then both free throws, Harden scored a layup, Irving scored three points, George scored a jumper, Harden scored 2+1, Irving responded with a throw, Jones also had a mid-range shot, Harden fast-break two-handed dunk, and the Clippers narrowed the difference to 4 points.
Powell missed mid-range, but Mann came down to make a dunk. Doncic made two free throws, Jones scored on a dunk, Leonard scored a small hook under the basket, Doncic missed a three-pointer for a three-pointer, Harden missed a three-pointer for a step-back, Doncic didn't have a three-pointer at the buzzer, and at halftime, the Dallas Mavericks led the Los Angeles Clippers by four points at 45-41.
Harden is also the scoring champion
Because of Leonard's return, Harden returned to the role of point guard in the first quarter, but seeing the team's offense stagnate, Harden turned on offensive mode in the second quarter, scoring 12 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists on 4-of-9 shooting in the half, still the team's scoring champion, but 0 of 5 three-pointers. George had 10 points and 1 assist and received 3 fouls, Leonard had only 4 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist on 2-of-6 shooting, Mann had 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, and Wei Shao on the bench had only 2 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist on 0-of-3 shooting.
The Mavericks' offense still relies on Doncic, who played 22 minutes in the half, scoring 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists on 6-of-14 shooting, you know, the Mavericks only scored 45 points as a team. Irving shot 3-of-7 with 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, Jones scored 9 points and 6 rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting, and Lively on the bench had 5 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist, the team's three-point shot was only 4-of-13, and the Clippers shot 2-of-13, which was miserable.