The Los Angeles Clippers will face the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday in the series opener at Crypto.com Arena. The Clippers will be the No. 4 seed and the Mavericks will be the No. 5 seed entering what is expected to be one of the most competitive series in the league. Through three regular season meetings, the Clippers led the series with a 2-1 record, one win on the road and one at home. Both teams have suffered back-to-back losses heading into the postseason, so a win in the series opener would be huge. Despite all the content, this is a series worth watching for fans.
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Dallas ready for street combat
The Mavericks head into this Western Conference series opener knowing that an upset in the opening game could go a long way toward clinching a series victory. Dallas went on the road this season with a record of 25 wins and 16 losses, finishing just one game behind the Clippers in the standings. They have put together a strong finish and some think they could be one of the best-playing teams in the NBA. Despite suffering back-to-back losses to end the regular season, they still won seven of their last 10 games, including a five-game winning streak before the season-ending setback. . They lost this series on the road in Los Angeles by 19 points earlier this season, and will be hoping that things go more smoothly this time around.
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Dallas has a lot of injuries heading into this game, but I expect most of them to play. Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Derrick Jones Jr., PJ Washington, and Daniel Gafford are all questionable. Most of these stats will be back for the final game of the season, so you shouldn't have any problems coming into this season. However, Derek Lively continues to be sidelined, which is a blow to the frontcourt.
The Mavericks place an emphasis on 3-point shooting, ranking second in the league in attempts and third in completions. Three-point shooting has helped them greatly over the past month, and given LA's struggles on the perimeter, that could be a key advantage. The concerns for Dallas are rebounding and defense. If you can't get stops, scoring won't help you. Doncic (33.9 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 9.8 apg) put together another MVP-type season, and with the re-emergence of Kyrie Irving (25.6 ppg), the two-star is more than capable of leading the team. If these two perform well, they will definitely be able to come out on top on this road.
Clippers happy with home court
The Clippers haven't been talked about much in the Western Conference race, but they sit in fourth place and have the best chance of success. They have a 25-16 home record this season, which is an impressive but not incredible record, especially when compared to a team with the league's top home record. Los Angeles ended the season with three straight home losses, which could affect their momentum and confidence heading into this season. Fans will be hoping the Clippers will rely heavily on their success against Dallas this season to have success in Opening Day.
Los Angeles also has two injuries to worry about themselves, which could have a big impact on this series. James Harden is likely to leave, but Kawhi Leonard is out indefinitely. Not having Leonard is a tough pill to swallow, and Harden could take on more of a scoring role, especially if he's able to give it his all in this game.
In recent years, the team has relied heavily on defense, but this season, offense has taken the lead. He ranks sixth in the league in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. Even if Leonard is unavailable, facing a Dallas defense that ranks in the bottom third of the league in most defensive categories should give this group plenty of confidence. Paul George (22.6 percent) leads the way, but it may be Russell Westbrook (11.1 percent) who sets the tone. The Clippers have an experience advantage, but injuries could be a negative in this game.
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Not only will Dallas cover the spread, but it's also likely they'll come out on top with a win. Missing Leonard is a big blow for the Clippers, and not having their top defender means they will have trouble slowing down the Doncic-Irving duo. Harden is likely injured, considering they could be without another key scorer. Dallas leans heavily toward 3-point shooting, which will benefit both the road and the Clippers, who have been behind defensively. Before losing consecutive games to end the season, Dallas had covered the spread in seven of their last eight games, but they returned to that trend heading into the playoff kickoff.
Prediction: Dallas (-2)
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Both of these teams are known for being high scorers, but it's actually going to be a low scoring game. Two of the Clippers' top three scorers are hampered by injuries, including Leonard, who has already been ruled out. So some questions remain as to where you can check your score. Dallas has Doncic and Irving leading the way, but a lack of playoff experience may make it difficult for the complementary scorers to find success. In the last eight meetings between these two teams, the under has hit in seven of them, particularly in the last three against Dallas and three of the last four against the Clippers. Expect this scoring trend to continue into Sunday as both teams test each other out in Game 1.
Prediction: Less than 223.5
