On April 24, Beijing time, the Clippers lost to the Mavericks 93-96 at home, and the total score was tied 1-1. Leonard returned to the game, and it was widely expected that the Clippers could make another game, but it turned out to be otherwise. The Mavericks narrowly won by 3 points, why did the Clippers lose this game?
Defeat Factor 1: The three-point gap between the two sides is obvious
If the Clippers had been more accurate from the outside, they might have been 2-0 overall. In this game, the Clippers made 8 of 30 three-pointers, with a three-point shooting rate of only 26.7%, of which Dengka made 2 of 15 three-pointers, with a three-point shooting rate of only 13.3%. Leonard was 0-of-5 and Harden was 2-of-10. The Mavericks shot 14-of-33 from three-point range and shot 42.4 percent from three-point range. In three-pointers alone, the Mavericks scored six more points than the Clippers and scored 18 more points.
In the regular season this season, the Clippers shot no more than 27% from three-point range in six games, and the team went 2-4. The Mavericks shot at least 42.4 percent from three-point range in 19 games, and the team went 16-3.
Cause 2: The outbreak of the end of Eastern Europe
Doncic contributed 32 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists in the game, shooting 11-of-26 from the field and 5-of-14 from three-point range. Doncic's shooting percentage is not high, but when it comes to the critical moment, he still ushers in a burst and wins for the team.
Before the end of the third quarter, Doncic received a technical foul and his mentality was a little unbalanced, but in the fourth quarter, Doncic showed his true colors as a superstar, scoring 7 points and 4 assists in a single quarter, and these 4 assists helped his teammates score 11 points, in other words, 18 of the 31 points of the Mavericks in the fourth quarter were directly related to Doncic.
Irving had 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, and also scored 8 points in the final quarter, and the two led a wave of 14-0 offensive climax in the fourth quarter, which made the Mavericks go from behind to lead, completely changing the situation on the court.
When Doncic and Irving were able to read the game calmly at key moments, the Mavericks' team basketball power was truly unstoppable. After the game, Doncic and Irving high-fived and embraced. On Irving, Doncic said, "He's been fantastic! It's hard for the Clippers to defend both of us at the same time. They tried the bag jacket, and Owen got the empty spot. It's great to have him on our team. He helped me a lot and I'm glad he was here. ”
Cause of defeat 3: The two supporting roles of the Lone Ranger made meritorious contributions
The Mavericks suffered a lot of difficulties in this game, Hardaway Jr. withdrew from the game due to injury, and Gafford also suffered from injuries and form, and did not perform well. But there were still two role players who stepped up and helped the Eastern European duo a lot.
One of them is new signing PJ Washington, who is the Mavericks' No. 3 scorer in this game, contributing on both ends of the floor. He finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks, and was a solid 3-of-4 three-pointer. In particular, in the fourth quarter of the game, Washington scored 10 points alone, which was also the highest score in the final quarter of the game, and he was an important hero for the team's victory.
The second is Kleber, a player who is often complained about by Mavericks fans, who played an important role today. He contributed 6 points and 6 rebounds in this game, which may not be so impressive, but in the crucial fourth quarter, when the Clippers closed the deficit to 3 points, it was he who hit a crucial three-pointer, and when Irving missed a free throw, it was also Kleber who grabbed a valuable frontcourt rebound.
Defeat Factor 4: Zubac is no longer magical
After the game, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said Zubac got into foul trouble early and changed the course of the game. In this game, Zubac played 33 minutes, shooting 5 of 12, 3 of 5 free throws, and scored 13 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 fouls, both of which were in the first quarter.
Due to two early fouls, Zubac did not score in the first quarter, and the Clippers lost to the Mavericks by 4 points in the first quarter, while in the first quarter of G1, Zubac scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting, and the Clippers also led the Mavericks by 12 points. Comparing the two, Lue believes that it was Zubac's foul trouble that prevented the Clippers from playing as planned, and thus could not establish an early advantage.
Defeat Factor 5: The Clippers are in a sluggish state off the bench
In this game of G2, the Clippers' bench felt cold, which was also one of the reasons for their lack of offensive power. Powell was 2-of-10, Willis was 2-of-9, and Plumlee was 0-of-3, and such a shooting percentage obviously couldn't relieve the pressure on the main team.
The last time the two teams met in the regular season, the Clippers' bench exploded. In that game, Powell scored 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, Theis 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting, Willis scored 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting, and the bench combined for 16-of-23 shooting, shooting more than 69 percent. For the Clippers to regain the advantage in the next game, the bench will need to play better.
The overall score is 1-1, and the third game will go to the home of the Mavericks.