The Clippers seemed to have found the right formula. After two big wins in Dallas and a Luka Doncic not at the top physically, Tyronn Lue’s men were now ready to take control of the series at home. And then the Clippers became the Clippers again. Kawhi Leonard missed, Luka regaled, Mavericks victory and enormous pressure on Los Angeles.
The little house score box is here.
Eternal Clippers. We don’t know how they do it, but they keep finding different ways to mess up when they don’t have to. While the gang at Kawhi Leonard had all the momentum following the great response to Texas, they managed to shoot themselves once again in the foot. The Angelinos had the opportunity to push the Mavericks to the brink of elimination, ultimately it is they who find themselves in the slack before Game 6 on Friday which could well be their last of the season. In front of their audience, the Clippers actually fell for… the third time in this series, a defeat in the tradition of the franchise of Los Angeles. There was room, they believed in it, but in the end it left with the tail between its legs. We can talk for a long time about Luka Doncic’s new masterclass, and we will talk about it. In the hard in Game 4 and physically touched, Luka regained all of his superpowers to finish with 42 points, 8 rebounds and 14 assists. We can talk about the adjustments of Rick Carlisle, who decided to play big with the integration of Boban Marjanovic in the five alongside Kristaps Porzingis (with zone defense), just to counter the small-ball of the Clippers, who have once again started the match with titular Nico Batum. But what we will remember above all from this meeting, it’s the huge slump of the Clips in the third quarter : 72-67 in favor of Los Angeles with five minutes to go, the score rose to… 75-89 for Dallas. A simply terrible 22-3. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers, a street attack against serious Mavs in defense, Kawhi Leonard at bay, Paul George in foul trouble, Playoffs Rondo who turns into Mavericks Rondo, Dallas who punishes opposite, Luka who has fun… in short, it was the stampede. A CATA quarter-time end for the Clippers, who have never been able to recover from it.
Still, the Clippers did not come far from stealing this game. In the money-time, the little one lineup of Tyronn Lue managed to tighten the bolts and with an outdoor address found, the Californians had a right to believe it, also taking advantage of a Dallas team unable to conclude properly. But as soon as it was necessary to play the small one play in addition to gain the upper hand, it is as if the whole history of the Californian franchise suddenly comes to the surface. Returned to -4 four minutes from the end under the impetus of a very aggressive Paul George, the latter first lost a ball before being countered. Result, opposite, banderilla of Tim Hardaway Jr., banderilla of Kristaps Porzingis. In the jargon, we talk about air conditioning. From -10, the Clippers then managed to reduce the gap to only a small point 40 seconds from the buzzer, with in addition a golden opportunity to pass: interception of Terance Mann on a pass from Doncic, Tyronn Lue decides to let play by not taking his time-out, Mann seems to have a lay-up in transition but gives the puff to Nico Batum, who can not conclude. Damn ! The Clippers let their chances slip away, even though they had one last possession to tie the game at 3 points. A last possession beautifully messed up by Kawhi Leonard who, like his evening, sent an… unbalanced air ball from the corner. Ugly, very ugly. 105-100 for Dallas final score, 3-2 Mavs. Kawhi is going to have to look at himself in the mirror because besides this shoot, he missed his appointment. The Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson, Nico Batum or even Ivica Zubac and Terance Mann, overall made the necessary contribution to help the Clippers win this game, while Paul George was equal to himself, but Leonard? He was light years away from his demonstrated level in Dallas, and he’s clearly going to have to react in Game 6 if he is to avoid having a terrible summer.
Another away victory, the fifth in as many games in this series. The Mavericks, dominated at home, have just regained control of operations and now have the opportunity to finish the Clippers at home on Friday. Can Tyronn Lue’s men survive and bring the series back to Los Angeles? Not sure this time around.
Oh no Terance Mann. Wow ???? pic.twitter.com/akZBT7P34f
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) June 3, 2021
