04/26/24 10:01:00
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04/26 21:59 CDT Luka Doncic and defensive-minded Mavs take a chippy 101-90 win
over Clippers for 2-1 series lead
Luka Doncic and defensive-minded Mavs take a chippy 101-90 win over Clippers
for 2-1 series lead
By SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer
DALLAS (AP) --- Luka Doncic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and
the suddenly defensive-minded Dallas Mavericks took a chippy 101-90 victory
over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night for a 2-1 lead in the first-round
series.
The Mavs rode the same defense that gave them home-court advantage with a Game
2 victory in LA, and won in Dallas three years after losing all three
first-round games on their floor in a seven-game s loss to the Clippers. Game 4
is Sunday in Dallas.
Rookie Dereck Lively II scored all 13 of his points in the first half and
Daniel Gafford, his tag-team partner as a dunker and rim protector, had an
emphatic block of a dunk attempt by Paul George early in the fourth quarter
while Dallas was taking control for good in a game with five technical fouls, a
flagrant foul and two ejections.
James Harden scored 21 points for the Clippers, but just seven after halftime,
while fellow stars George and Kawhi Leonard had little impact. Normal Powell
also had 21.
George dealt with foul trouble and finished with seven points, five rebounds,
five assists --- and five fouls. Leonard never looked comfortable in his second
game back after missing nine games with right knee inflammation and had nine
points and nine rebounds. Ivica Zubac had 19 points and eight rebounds.
Kyrie Irving scored 19 of his 21 points in the final 13-plus minutes, including
eight in the final 1:18 of the third quarter, and was instrumental in Dallas
rebuilding an 18-point lead that had been cut to six.
An already testy game reached a boiling point midway through the fourth quarter
when Russell Westbrook slung Doncic around after fouling him.
Westbrook was called for a technical for that contact and for shoving P.J.
Washington after Washington confronted him. Washington also was called for a
tech during the sequence, and already had one from an earlier shoving match
with Terance Mann.
Westbrook, who in the first half got a flagrant 1 foul for excessive contact
when fouling Josh Green on a breakaway, and Washington were ejected.
Westbrook, who missed all seven shots and scored one point, drew the ire of the
crowd one other time when he bowled over Doncic after Zubac was called for a
foul as Doncic went up for a shot. Officials reviewed the play but ruled
Westbrook's contact incidental.
Doncic, who briefly left the court after limping off while grabbing his right
knee in the first quarter, was just 7 of 25 from the field and 3 of 13 from
3-point range.
But Dallas held George and Westbrook to a combined 1 of 10 from deep, while
Leonard didn't even have a 3 attempt among just seven shots.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
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