In the first round of the NBA playoffs, the two closest teams are probably the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks. As fifth and sixth in the West, they are mostly on par in terms of record and player set-up, and the test is the on-the-spot performance of the players and the improvisation of the head coach.
Before the G4 game, the Clippers officially announced that the team's core player Kawhi Leonard suffered an inflammation of his right knee and will miss the game, and there is no clear return table at present. Actually, it's a good thing for the whole Clippers team. You know, in the absence of the G1 small card, the Clippers won a victory. But after that, Xiaoka forced a comeback, and the G2 and G3 Clippers both lost, and it was very demoralizing.
Xiaoka's performance is also average, in the past two games, he averaged only 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 turnovers per game, and shot five three-point shots.
As the saying goes, come and don't be rude. You don't play on your side, and the Mavericks also said that Hardaway Jr. suffered a sprained right ankle and couldn't play. Doncic's right knee was sore, but he still kept playing. The Mavericks' starting lineup has not changed: Doncic + Irving + Jones + Washington + Gafford . On the Clippers' side, Harden + Mann + Coffey + George + Zubac. This game is very important for the Clippers, winning at home against Tianwang Mountain, losing 1-3 and getting the match point by the opponent.
In the first quarter of the game, both sides played very tightly, for fear that the opponent would rise first. As a result, within five minutes, Doncic and Harden both picked up their second fouls. The Mavericks started the game with three points, but the result was 0 in 5, which was almost meaningless. On the contrary, without the small card, General Joe played more casually, and when the Clippers were 19-10, George had already scored 8 points in 3 of 5 at this time, and you must know that G3 only scored 7 points in the whole game.
Then, George turned on the playoff mode and led the team to a 19-2 mini-climax, which opened the score to lay the foundation for victory. Powell closed the first quarter with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Clippers a 39-16 lead to 23 points. The Clippers were on full three-point range, shooting 8-of-11 in the first quarter, compared to 0-of-7 for the Mavericks. George, as the vanguard, single-handedly cut 16+3+3.
In the second quarter, George went to rest, and Harden and Westbrook dominated the offense of the game. The Mavericks' side repeatedly failed to open three-pointers, and the Clippers took advantage of the victory to chase after them, further widening the point difference. With six minutes left in the second quarter, the Clippers came to a maximum lead of 31 points. But Irving quickly exploded, scoring nine points in a row to help the Mavericks close the gap.
Coupled with the Mavericks' three-point recovery, they scored 33-27 points in a single quarter, and trailed the Clippers by 17 points at halftime 49-66.
In the second half, Kidd adjusted his strategy, and since he couldn't shoot the three-pointers, he made a fuss from the inside. Irving scored continuously, and the Clippers couldn't parry. After a 12-5 mini-high, the margin came to 10 points. Then the Mavericks role players scored five points in a row, Irving hit another three-pointer, and the Mavericks narrowed the gap to two points. Fortunately, George 2+1 was still in color, and the Clippers finished the third quarter with a 4-point lead.
In the final quarter, Kidd made a serious mistake by putting Kleber at the No. 5 spot. Harden scored consecutive throws, and even if Irving scored many difficult goals, it didn't help. In the end, the Clippers narrowly defeated the Mavericks 116-111 and tied the score at 2-2.
In terms of statistics, George had 33 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists on 11-of-19 shooting, Harden had 33 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists on 12-of-17 shooting, Zubac had 13 points and 4 rebounds, Mann and Powell each scored 11 points, and Wei Shao scored 5 points;
On the Mavericks' side, Doncic had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Irving had 40 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Jones had 14 points and 7 rebounds, and Washington had 10 points and 4 rebounds.