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The LA Clippers' roster showed its experience down the stretch as Doc Rivers' men held on to take the first game of their series against the Dallas Mavericks 118-110. The Mavericks recovered well after slipping to a 16-point deficit early on but costly turnovers and Kristaps Porzingis' ejection cost them the match-up.
Luka Doncic accounted for 42 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds but also lost possession of the ball 11 times, one short of tying the NBA Playoffs record. Kawhi Leonard led the lines for the LA Clippers again, recording 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists for this game.
Without further ado, let us look at the five talking points from Game 1 of the series between the LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
#5 Is the LA Clippers' second unit good enough defensively to deal with the Dallas Mavericks?
The LA Clippers did a great job in the opening few minutes of the game to rush to an 18-2 start. Luka Doncic already had five turnovers by then. But that's when Doc Rivers decided to give Patrick Beverley a quick rest. Slowly, all but one of the LA Clippers' starters were substituted by bench players.
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That opened the floodgates for the Dallas Mavericks who then scored seven treys to pull off a 20-point turnaround and ended the first quarter leading 38-34. While you can always blame Doc Rivers for not pushing hard and ending the tie early on itself, the second unit has to do better.
Reggie Jackson is no Pat Bev, but the least he can do is contest perimeter shots well. The likes of Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, and Landry Shamet can provide offensive firepower on any given night but none of these players are renowned as great defenders and need to improve in this regard.
#4 Montrezl Harrell's fitness a concern
It's been an emotional few weeks for Montrezl Harrell who only recently returned to the bubble after mourning the loss of his grandmother. Given his long time off, there were viable concerns regarding his fitness should he play against the Dallas Mavericks and they turned out to be true.
Harrell wasn't as aggressive on the boards as he usually is, managing only two rebounds on the night. He was even worse defensively, especially in transition. Midway through the third quarter, Doc Rivers was seen telling him to stop strutting and run the floor.
The Sixth Man of the Year front-runner will surely improve as this series against the Dallas Mavericks progresses. But for the time being, his six-point outing is simply not good enough for the LA Clippers.
#3 Kristaps Porzingis' ejection hurts Dallas Mavericks
Refereeing in the modern NBA has become soft and an instance of the same was visible today. Kristaps Porzingis threw a fist in the air after being called for a clean block but moved on immediately and was still handed a technical.
This would haunt the Dallas Mavericks later on in the game. Porzingis got involved in a scuffle between Marcus Morris and Luka Doncic in the third quarter and receive his second technical foul, thereby getting ejected.
The Dallas Mavericks had reduced the lead to a solitary point with five minutes left in the ball game. The big Latvian's presence would've certainly helped their cause against the LA Clippers down the stretch.
This was Porzingis' first career-playoff game so he can be excused for not knowing better but needs to learn from this incident.
#2 Kawhi Leonard's mid-range game as good as ever but Paul George still the best shooter on the LA Clippers
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard expectedly ran the show for the LA Clippers on both ends of the floor. While the duo's aggression defensively did lead to a few communication errors, they combined for 56 points to compensate for that.
The three-point shot remains elusive for Leonard, who went 1-of-7 from downtown against the Dallas Mavericks. But his sheer physicality allowed him to drive inside and get his signature top-of-the-key two-pointers to fall, despite Maxi Kleber having his hands right in his face on most occasions.
Paul George had 27 points and was particularly responsible for the LA Clippers' huge lead in the first quarter, both with his scoring and his two steals in the opening exchanges. He also drained the dagger late in the game.
#1 Luka Doncic's 11 turnovers overshadow his huge night for the Dallas Mavericks
Despite having a whopping five turnovers in the first three minutes of the match-up and feeling an ankle issue early on, Luka Doncic did well to return to the game and account for 42 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field.
It's certainly commendable how the sophomore played after the early mishap but it's that lack of focus in the first few exchanges of the game that eventually cost the Dallas Mavericks the game.
In the NBA Playoffs, every single possession counts, especially against the LA Clippers who arguably have the best depth in the entire league right now.
Decision making has been an issue for Luka who averaged a bad 4.3 turnovers per game in the regular season. If he can chisel this part of his offense out, then we'll have a real series on our hands.
Also read: 5 Things Dallas Mavericks need to do to get past the LA Clippers | NBA Playoffs 2020
