The NBA playoffs continued, the Clippers lost 93-96 to the Mavericks at home, and in this game, despite Leonard's comeback, the Clippers still played very hard, and their offense never opened the situation in the first half, and was suppressed by the Mavericks, and the point difference has been controlled in the range of 5-10 points. In the second half of the third quarter, the Clippers gradually found their rhythm, and they frequently used counterattacks to slowly turn the tide. But in the second half of the final quarter, the Clippers suddenly attacked and lost power, and the Mavericks regained the initiative on the court with a wave of 14-0, and then the Clippers also counterattacked, but they couldn't stop the Mavericks' footsteps and had no choice but to lose. After this game, the series score between the two sides was tied 1-1. So where exactly did the Clippers lose? Maybe the data can give us some answers.
Leonard, who shot 7-of-17 from the field, 0-of-5 from three-point range and 1-of-1 from the free-throw line, had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 1 block, and had a plus/minus of -8. To be honest, Xiaoka's offensive state after his comeback today is very average, and some opportunities that he usually wins nine out of ten can't be grasped today, and the Clippers arranged for him to play Doncic by name in the last quarter, basically none of them can be played. However, this does not affect his role on the defensive end, in addition to direct steals and blocks, Leonard's impact on the help defense, positioning, and the Mavericks' offense is multifaceted, but it is obvious that the Clippers want to win, and Leonard's offensive performance is not enough.
Harden, who shot 6-of-14 from the field, 2-of-10 from three-point range and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line, had 22 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 turnover, and had a plus/minus of -6 on the court. Harden had a decent performance today, and despite his ugly three-point shooting percentage, he managed to keep out the offensive end and keep his aggression going. It's clear that Harden has changed his mindset and is no longer shirking responsibility when it's time for him to make a move. Efficiency is one thing, mentality is another, and Harden has shown his determination to compete for a championship this time. What he has to do is to improve his own efficiency.
George, who shot 7-of-14 from the field, 2-of-5 from three-point range and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, contributed 22 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 2 turnovers, with a plus/minus of -5. George's offensive performance today was also very average, and Leonard couldn't point it out in the final quarter, and Doncic could still make excuses that he was returning from injury and not having enough strength in his legs. George can't beat Doncic either, which is a bit of a stretch. But then again, the offense of the Clippers' Big Three is only this kind of performance, and it is really difficult for them to say that they can advance smoothly in this series.
Zubac, who shot 5-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from the free-throw line, finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 turnovers, with a plus/minus of +6. Zubac's performance today was expected, and no one would expect his type of interior to play consistently dominant. After the Mavericks targeted him, Zubac's performance was weak many times, and in addition to rebounding control, Zubac's finishing efficiency under the basket ushered in a huge decline.
Wei Shao, shot 2-of-9, 1-of-3 from three-point range, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, he contributed 7 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, and 1 turnover, with a plus/minus of +11. Wei Shao's offensive efficiency today is also ugly, but he focuses more on the defensive end, and his overall efficiency on the court is not low, and the team's loss has little to do with him.
Mann, who shot 2-of-7 from the field and 1-of-3 from three-point range, had 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 turnover, and had a plus/minus of -5. Like Zubac, Mann didn't have that kind of magical offensive performance after the chances were running out, but he was still positive, whether it was rebounding or defending, Mann's play was quite decent.
As for the rest of the bench role players, Powell shot 2-of-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range, and he had 6 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist, and his performance could only be described as average. Coffey and Plumlee combined for 1-of-4 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line, and the two of them combined for just three points, five rebounds and one turnover, and the overall Clippers' bench performance was very mediocre.