The Dallas Mavericks lost more than a video game on Friday. They now trail the series 2-1 following their 130-122 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers, and after Doncic had to grimace through a few 4th quarter minutes, the odds of him playing at 100 percent in Game 4 appear slim.
And they can thank Kawhi Leonard for that. He poured in 36 points on 13-of-24 shooting while providing his hallmark stellar defense to assist give his Clippers the series lead. Another off night for Paul George wasnt enough to keep Leonard from the triumph, and with Doncic now compromised, the Clippers ought to feel relatively safe in their possibilities. They need just win 2 more games to advance to the 2nd round..
Here are 3 key takeaways following Game 3:.
1. Dallas has some describing to do.
No, Im not a doctor. Im a professional of sound judgment, and sound judgment determines that when your 21-year-old MVP prospect can barely walk and youre tracking by 17 going into the 4th quarter of a first-round Game 3, that MVP prospect should most likely not return to that Game 3. Yet the Mavericks put Doncic back on the flooring, viewed him battle to make it up and down the court, and then eliminated him for great..
The concern here is … why put Luka in the game at all? In the grand scheme of things, this series suggests little compared to his future. A first-round upset over the Clippers would be great, however its not as if it would make the Mavericks competitors through the transitive residential or commercial property.
2. Get Maxi Kleber off of Kawhi Leonard.
Dallas does not have actually a lineup geared up to safeguard the Clippers. Dorian Finney-Smith is their one really favorable force on the border, and Rick Carlisle has actually picked to use him on Paul George. Far, that has worked. He is 7-of-33 from the field over the past two video games. However Kawhi Leonard is certainly the larger hazard, and the Mavericks have actually tossed a center in Maxi Kleber on him. Unsurprisingly, that approach has actually stopped working..
They have a couple of various alternatives to think about if they are really devoted to the Finney-Smith match on George. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is sitting on their bench, all set to lock down opposing stars at a minutes notice. Dallas scores well overall that they may be able to manage a downtick if it implies containing Kawhi.
Whats become clear is that the Kleber method isnt working. Dallas needs to attempt something else, because just letting Kawhi get whatever he desires isnt sustainable over a seven-game series..
3. Is Paul George okay?
There are three possible descriptions for Georges 7-of-33 depression over the past two video games:.
There is absolutely nothing the Clippers can do about the very first 2 alternatives. A recurrence of Georges shoulder concerns would be exceptionally worrying considering it was only a month ago that he said that the injuries were no longer an issue.
Only George and the Clippers medical personnel knows for sure what is going on, however if he is still injured, the Clippers have to start considering what they can do to get him right in time for the two series that will ultimately matter: the Western Conference finals and the Finals. With a 2-1 lead in this series and an underwhelming second-round challenger looming, the Clippers might pay for to be mindful with George and possibly lower his minutes a bit ahead of the series that will ultimately identify whether or not they become champs..
He really does worsen in the playoffs, as Twitter would have you think. The total numbers refute that claim, however his clutch numbers in playoff settings are absolutely concerning.
It is nothing however bad shooting variation that will regress to the mean in the near future.
His shoulder is are still hurt.
They now track the series 2-1 following their 130-122 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers, and after Doncic had to grimace through a few fourth quarter minutes, the chances of him playing at 100 percent in Game 4 appear slim. He put in 36 points on 13-of-24 shooting while offering his trademark outstanding defense to assist give his Clippers the series lead. Another off night for Paul George wasnt enough to keep Leonard from the victory, and with Doncic now jeopardized, the Clippers should feel relatively safe and secure in their chances. Im a professional of typical sense, and common sense determines that when your 21-year-old MVP prospect can barely walk and youre trailing by 17 getting in the fourth quarter of a first-round Game 3, that MVP candidate need to most likely not return to that Game 3. Dallas doesnt have a lineup geared up to protect the Clippers.
