The NBA Playoffs have been nothing short of thrilling this year, with the Dallas Mavericks taking a 3-2 lead over the Los Angeles Clippers in their first-round series. The Mavericks, led by superstar Luka Doncic, have shown incredible resilience and determination in their quest to advance to the next round.
In Game 5, the Mavericks put on a show for their home crowd, dominating the Clippers with a final score of 105-100. Doncic once again proved why he is one of the most talented players in the league, scoring 42 points and dishing out 14 assists. The Clippers put up a valiant effort, but ultimately fell short against the relentless Mavericks.
Tim Hardaway Jr. and Olivier Maxence-Prosper are still listed as out with ankle injuries. Hardaway suffered some setbacks in practice, so he may be a while. Luka Doncic is listed as questionable with a knee injury. He’s already told the media he’s playing but because of his knee and because he’s battling some unknown illness, if it were regular season he’d be taking the night off. Who knows what to expect from Luka. For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard is out with knee inflammation.
Paul George and Ivica Zubac scored 15 points apiece for the Clippers, who played their second straight game and third of the series without Kawhi Leonard. LA's leading scorer has right knee inflammation at the most critical point in the season, and his teammates were unable to win without him in Game 5 after doing it twice earlier in the series.
Leonard's fellow stars couldn't step up in Game 5, and Dallas' defense deserved much of the credit.
George went 4 for 13 and missed four of his six 3-point attempts, failing to assert himself offensively except during a brief stretch of the third quarter.
Harden had another perplexing playoff performance, going 2 for 12 and missing six of his seven 3s. Russell Westbrook also struggled off the bench, missing his first eight shots before finally scoring in the third quarter.
If the Mavericks close out the series Friday, Game 5 will go down as the Clippers' final home game in Crypto.com Arena before moving to the opulent Intuit Dome in Inglewood next season. It wouldn't be a graceful exit.
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