At one point, the Clippers built a 27-point lead, but were forced to close to four points by the Mavericks. Thankfully, Harden found his groove on the offensive end, scoring 15 points in the final quarter to lead the Clippers to victory. On April 29, 2024, Beijing time, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 116-111. Harden had 33 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, and George had 33 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. On the Mavericks' side, Doncic had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and Irving had 40 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Clippers on the road were obviously cornered by the Mavericks, after all, they had the home court advantage, but now they were led by the Mavericks by a large score in the series, and Leonard was once again suspended due to an unclear injury. When the team is on the back foot, Harden and George obviously need to step up and lead the team. From the beginning of the game, George showed an efficient offensive state, hitting frequent shots on the offensive end, and Harden also used the pass to connect the team's offense. With the two leading the way, the Clippers scored 39 points in the first quarter. The Mavericks, on the other hand, were slow to get into the groove and couldn't guarantee shooting stability on the offensive end, and were fully beaten by the Clippers in the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led the Mavericks by 23 points.
The Mavericks at home were willing to admit defeat easily, and Irving stepped up at this time. Compared to Doncic, Irving's breakthrough is more threatening, and it is also more able to attract the Mavericks' defense. In the middle of the second quarter, Doncic rested off the court, and Irving alone controlled the Mavericks' offensive dominance. He first broke into the interior to make 2+1, and then hit two three-pointers in a row, and one person scored 9 points in a row, and the Clippers could only call a timeout to interrupt Irving's offensive rhythm. After the timeout, the Clippers reorganized their offense, and the Mavericks' offensive touch began to decline, and the Clippers had a 27-point lead over the Mavericks at the top. Although the Mavericks once again tried to chase the score, the Clippers firmly controlled the situation on the court and entered the second half with a 17-point lead.
Yibian fought again, and the Lone Ranger launched a counterattack. In terms of offensive efficiency, the Mavericks are not unable to compete with the Clippers, and after the run-in of the regular season, Irving and Doncic have become more and more tacit, and the two are the most effective weapons for the Mavericks on the offensive end. It was under the leadership of the two that the Mavericks launched a 29-16 attack wave in the third quarter, narrowing the gap to four points in one fell swoop. On the other hand, the Clippers, George suddenly lost his touch after entering the second half, not only did he shoot repeatedly out of the basket, but even the breakthrough did not work, if this momentum continues, then the Clippers will not be able to win at all.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Clippers finally regained their sense on the offensive end, and this time it was Harden who led the Clippers to victory. The two teams were still inextricably matched in the first half of the fourth quarter, and the Mavericks had a lot of momentum to turn the game around. In the final five minutes of the game, Harden took charge of the Clippers' offense, and although he didn't have too much speed on his breakaways, he was always able to take advantage of the change of pace to find opportunities. In the final five minutes of the game, Harden scored 13 points alone. With Harden's outstanding performance, the Clippers defeated the Mavericks on the road and tied the series at 2-2.