Game 5 between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers is approaching. Waiting for Mozart's “Lacrimosa”. Because this is where things get really dramatic.
Considering the series has been tied at two games apiece in this first dramatic climax where home court advantage is shifting back in LA's favor, I have a feeling something great could happen on Wednesday. The Clippers will host the final game at Crypto.com Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 9pm CST on TNT, with local coverage on TXA21.
There's no need to explain how important it is to win the fifth game of a seven-game series that ended in a 2-2 draw. Numbers like these are hammered into NBA fans' heads every year as the playoffs approach. The winner of Game 5 in these scenarios goes on to win the series 82.8% of the time (he is 164-34 in 2018).
So, with the most important game of the season just one sleep away (and depending on when you're reading this, you might not even sleep at all), what do the Mavs need to do to take their most commanding series lead yet? Or?
Here are three things:
Hold the Clippers to under 15 3-point shots
The Clippers made exactly 18 3-pointers in each of the series wins in Games 1 and 4, making a combined 36-of-65 (55%) from distance in those two games. Even though each game played out differently, excellent shooting kept the Mavs close to even in both wins, outscoring Dallas by 24 points from the 3-point line in Game 1 and 21 points in Game 4. Ta.
The Mavericks will have to aim to minimize the damage this time around and keep the Clippers under 15 players. And to be honest, this could have happened based on a simple shooting difference before the Mavericks made any defensive adjustments for Game 5. Immediately after Game 4, much was made about the Clippers' spectacular shooting. In that win, he made 6-of-6 3-pointers on “well-contested” 3-pointers. As the series has progressed, much has been made in general about James Harden and Paul George's ability to represent the best versions of themselves in a game without their star players. FW Kawhi Leonard.
Harden went 17-of-34 (50%) in this series and 10-of-16 in the Clippers' two wins. The combination of Harden and George has made 21 of 38 shots in the last two wins. With Leonard out of the lineup, being an aggressive volume shooter is their only option, and so far both have been willing to do that.
Is it possible that either or both are scheduled for an off-shoot night? Sure, but they've already had one game under their belt, with Dallas winning games 2 and 3. had poor shooting performance. Dallas has played good defense overall this series, so no obvious adjustments may be necessary. In terms of making it harder to get players off the 3-point line. That's how you can get into trouble. The key is for the Clippers to challenge everything they got in Game 5 and believe that the results offensively will follow.
Get back to work within Paint
In Game 3, the Mavs dominated in the paint, making 13 dunks and taking a 52-36 advantage in points in the paint, winning 96-93 and briefly dropping Dallas to 2-1. gave him the series lead. Ten of those dunks came in the first half, marking only the second time in the last 25 years that a team has had so many dunks in the first half of a playoff game.
Daniel Gafford blocked three shots and Derek Lively II blocked two more as the Mavericks clogged the lanes and the Clippers' offense became more difficult than ever. But Los Angeles erased that advantage in Game 4, outscoring the Mavs 46-42 in the paint. The lob threat was almost non-existent for the Mavericks in Sunday's loss. That needs to change.
Will Luka be able to recover despite spraining his knee?
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Luka Doncic's recent knee injury has been given a name on Tuesday, and is officially a right knee sprain, ESPN reported. He was reportedly able to do “everything” in Tuesday's practice and is officially designated as probable injury on the team's injury report.
The limping superstar averaged 29.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the series, but shot just 38.6 percent from the field and 26.5 percent from 3-point range through four games. It's staying. He played 45 minutes in the Game 4 loss, despite slowing down at times during the game. It's clear that his stiff knees are affecting his mobility on both ends of the floor.
“Obviously I'm hurt, but that's no excuse,” Doncic told ESPN.
Despite that, don't make a huge leap past Doncic in this series' biggest moment. He's used to big moments in the playoffs in general, especially against the Clippers. He has been able to overcome several injuries and illnesses in his career. If he can provide one emotional “flu game” or “Paul Pierce comes out of the sky” moment in the final three games, the rest of the team will have the fourth and final win they need to win the series. There's something that tells me I can pull him up for the.
How to watch
Tipoff is scheduled for 9pm CST on TNT, with local coverage on TXA21.
