The Clippers lost to the Mavericks by 3 points at home, and the two sides fought to 1-1. In the last game, Leonard was absent, and the Clippers beat the Mavericks by a big margin. In this game, Leonard completed his comeback, but the Clippers lost the game, what is the reason?
One, the star plays, the Clippers are not as good as the Clippers
The Clippers are the Big Four and the Mavericks are the duo. It was a defensive battle, and it was only at the last minute that the winner of the game was decided. At critical moments, the play of the stars determines the trend of this game, and the Clippers are inferior to the Mavericks in this regard.
suffered a crushing defeat on the court, Doncic was questioned, and the Clippers have been naming and consuming him! Doncic did give a chance here, and his defensive Harden exploded directly. In this game, the Mavericks made adjustments, using Irving to defend Harden, and Doncic to play against Mann, relieving some of the pressure. Compared to the last game, Doncic showed the attitude of a team leader, especially on the defensive end. Although the Clippers are still naming Doncic, the effect is really average. Against Doncic's defense, Harden was 1-of-5, Leonard was 0-of-2, Powell was 0-of-2, Mann was 0-of-2, and Plumlee was 0-of-2.
On the offensive end, Doncic played the entire second half, playing 45 minutes and 44 seconds, shooting 11-of-26, scoring 32 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. In the face of Harden's defense, Doncic made the winning three-pointer to help the team establish an advantage!
In contrast, the Clippers have some problems playing here. In the defensive battle, the Clippers matched enough intensity, but their own offense did not play. Leonard has been absent for a long time, and the state of the first game of his comeback is very average, and he still needs to find it slowly, playing 35 minutes, 7 of 17 shots, 0 of 5 three-point shots, and 1 of 2 free throws, 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 1 block. Harden was the key to winning the game, and the game didn't feel good, 6-of-14, 2-of-10 three-pointers, 22 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. George's play was quite stable, shooting 7 of 14 from the field, 2 of 5 three-pointers, 6 of 6 free throws, and getting 22 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, but George didn't have much ball, and only rushed a few at the last moment.
Second, it feels cold to the hand, and the character needs to be able to stand up
At the end of the game, the Clippers shot just 36.8 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from three-point range. The Mavericks, while not accurate, are considered a normal value, shooting 42.1% from the field and 42.4% from three-point range. Especially in the three-point shot, the Clippers are much behind the Mavericks!
The Clippers have four players in double figures, Leonard, George, Harden, Zubac, and the rest of the players are all in single digits. The two key bench players Wei Shao and Powell did not play, especially Powell, who is the most important gun on the outside of the Clippers! In addition, Zubac opened the game with two fouls too early, which also disrupted the team's rhythm, and the performance of the substitute Plumlee was even more disastrous, so it was better to use Theis.
With a big score of 1-1, the Clippers handed over their home-court advantage, and this group of matchups will be even more suspenseful! Leonard is back, and his state is crucial for the Clippers!
Where do you think the Clippers are losing?