On Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks played their first game of the first round of the NBA Playoffs on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers.
This was a series everyone couldn't wait to see, and the first match didn't disappoint in terms of intensity.
Despite a flagrant technical foul in this game, these two teams picked up where they left off in the 2020 and 2021 playoffs.
LA won Game 1 109-97, giving Dallas the best result, but Dallas showed promise in the second half of the game. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving led a second-half comeback, but it was too little, too late.
Everything was going wrong for Los Angeles, especially in the first half. The loss was a bit concerning considering the Clippers were led by James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Paul George, and the Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard.
Especially in the first half, Zubac was dominant in the paint and Harden was electric. He played with a different energy, and Russell Westbrook was also a big difference-maker off the bench.
Even though the Mavs didn't have a great game, there are still some good things to take away from this game.
Here are three studs and two duds from the Mavs' Game 1 loss to the Clippers.
PJ Washington scored just 11 points in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Clippers, but his defense was great all night. Jason Kidd had Washington guard James Harden start the game, and the plan worked effectively. Harden started hitting switches and Kidd started using Derrick Jones Jr. at guard, but Washington was the most solid defensively of anyone on the team.
Offensively, Washington shot 4-10 from the field and hit a few early in the game. He seemed to set the tone for the entire game as he hit threes and then floaters off drives to the rim and was hitting the ball on both ends of the floor.
Although his offense has slowed down and his defense may be overlooked, he was one of the few bright spots in this game. Dallas will need him to play elite defense in Game 2 and he continues to be a big X-factor in this series.
