Mark J. Terrill/AP
Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to a road victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
CNN
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On Tuesday, the Dallas Mavericks won Game 2 against the Los Angeles Clippers in a hard-fought 96-93, tying the first-round playoff series at 1-1, and Dallas head coach Jason Kidd He recalled the match. Back in his time.
“We played physical basketball for 48 minutes,” Kidd said. “Both teams had less than 100 players. '90s basketball was the best.”
The Mavericks were led by Luka Doncic with 32 points, six rebounds and nine assists as he added a playoff win over the Clippers to his resume.
It was a close game from start to finish, with the Clippers taking a 73-67 lead in the fourth quarter, but Dallas fought back with 14 points, capped by Kyrie Irving's driving hook shot with 5:18 left, to take an 81-73 advantage. spread out.
The Clippers closed the gap again, but Doncic made a clutch decision with 1:26 left in the game, hitting a step-back 3-pointer to James Harden to extend Dallas' lead to 90-81.
The heat of the moment caused Doncic to roar in victory to the Clippers crowd.
“At the end of the day, this is basketball. I've been doing this my whole life,” Doncic said after the game, according to the Mavericks.
“I'm just trying to have fun outside. The intensity is much higher. [in the playoffs]And I just go out there and play hard and have fun. ”
Irving had 23 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, praising the Mavs' teamwork and ability to do “the little things” as his team took home court advantage.
Keith Birmingham/Media News Group/Pasadena Star News/Getty Images
Kyrie Irving added 23 points for the Mavericks.
“Just staying calm and understanding that mistakes are going to happen. And this is a playoff game,” he said on the Mavs broadcast. “It will be a low-scoring game for the most part, but we have to have the resilience to keep fighting until the end.
“That's what team games are all about. Teams win championships, teams win games, so it's all about us doing the right thing and continuing to encourage each other in a positive way.”
Harden and Paul George led the Clippers with 22 points, and Kawhi Leonard scored 15 points in his return from knee inflammation.
“I felt good,” Leonard said, according to ESPN. “We still have games to play and we still have time to improve. Keep trying to get our rhythm back.”
The team heads to Dallas for the first of two games on Friday night.
Elsewhere, the Indiana Pacers scored an impressive 125-108 road win in Game 2, tying the first-round playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Pascal Siakam had an absurd night for the Pacers, posting 37 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and shooting 69.6 percent from the floor.
The Milwaukee Bucks, without injured star Giannis Antetokounmpo, were once again led by Damian Lillard, who had 34 points, four rebounds and five assists.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were surprisingly led to victory by Jaden McDaniels, who scored 25 points in a 105-93 victory over the Phoenix Suns, extending a 2-0 series lead.
McDaniels averaged 10.5 points per game during the regular season, making 10 of 17 from the field and had eight rebounds, three assists and one steal.
It was a tough night for rising star Anthony Edwards, who scored just 15 points on 25% shooting.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 20 points, and Kevin Durant added 18 points.
