In Game 2 of the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Clippers hosted the Mavericks today, and Leonard chose to return and had no playing time limit. Both teams played relatively tightly throughout the game, and neither of them felt very good in shooting. In the final quarter, the Mavericks launched a wave of 14-0 offensive climax to seal the victory in one fell swoop, and finally the Clippers lost to the Mavericks 93-96.
Match data
The small card scored 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 1 block on 7-of-17 shooting, Harden scored 22 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 1 block on 6-of-14 shooting, and George had 22 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
Star performance
Xiaoka's shooting hand is not good at the beginning, and his body may not have fully recovered, and he still needs to slowly adapt to the intensity of the playoffs. He shouldn't be in too much of a hurry, take his time, and play more off-ball attacks. In addition, head coach Tyronn Lue should also spread out his playing time.
Harden didn't take too many shots on the offensive end at the beginning of the game, instead spending most of his energy on organizing the tandem and making a couple of great passes. In addition, on the defensive end, he faced Irving's breakthrough and came up with a big hat to show his attitude to the game.
George started the game aggressively today, first receiving the ball and catching a dunk in the air, and then hitting a step-back jumper after a series of shakes in the face of Gafford in the face of Gafford. George needs to step up today and bring more energy to the team, after all, he has just returned from injury.
Team Analysis
In the case of the Clippers without a small card, the team basketball they relied on still beat the Mavericks. But the Clippers have also exposed some problems, Harden's play is still not consistent enough, and his scoring consistency is insufficient. George plays too much with the ball, which makes it less efficient, so he should play more off-ball offense to be more intimidating. There are still deficiencies in the interior defense, although Zubac exploded in the last game, but the overall strength of their interior is still weaker than the Mavericks.
Both teams start
Clippers: Harden, Mann, George, Jr. and Zubac
Mavericks: Irving, Doncic, Jones, Washington and Gafford