In the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Clippers narrowly defeated the Mavericks 116-111 on the road, bringing the series to a 2-2 draw. The Clippers once led by 31 points, but were overtaken by the Mavericks in the final quarter, and at the critical moment, Harden stepped up to stabilize the situation, and he played 40 minutes in the game, shooting 12 of 17, 4 of 5 three-pointers, 5 of 5 free throws, and 33 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. In this game, Clippers star Leonard was suspended due to inflammation in his right knee, but the Clippers were killed, and they hit 9-0 at the beginning, followed by a wave of 17-2, leading by double digits in the first quarter, 39-16, and the Clippers beat the Mavericks!
In the second quarter, George and Irving went head-to-head, especially Irving, who scored 16 points in the quarter, and in the first half, the Clippers led by 17 points at 66-49. It is worth mentioning that at the most, the Clippers led by 31 points, and the score at that time was 55-24. In the third quarter, the Mavericks continued to fight back, Irving repeatedly hit the fairy ball, and the third quarter ended, 82-78, and the Clippers only led by 4 points! In the fourth quarter, the Mavericks once tied it! At the critical moment, Harden stabilized the situation and scored continuously, and in the end, the Clippers narrowly defeated the Mavericks away and refused to make a 31-point reversal.
But after the game, Harden didn't have a little excitement on his face, he left the court with a serious face, after all, the series score was only 2-2! In this game, the four superstars of the two sides fought, Harden 33 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, George 33 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals, Irving 40 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Doncic 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Leonard was injured. There is no doubt that Leonard's injury is good news for the Clippers, and in his absence, the Clippers' offense is more fluid.
At 10 a.m. Beijing time on May 2, the Clippers played at home against the Mavericks, which was the battle of Tianwang Mountain! In addition, the possibility of Leonard's return from injury is very small, Harden and George need to continue to prove themselves, and the performance of Irving and Doncic is expected.