DALLAS,TX– The Los Angeles Clippers displayed amazing grit and resilience on Sundays 116-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on April 28- knotting the dramatic first round Playoffs at two games apiece. Kawhi Leonard was ruled out with a sore knee-not to mention blowing a 31 point lead in the fourth quarter. Somehow the Clippers managed to prevail with their season on the line.
Early on, Paul George and the rest of the Clippers were on fire from beyond the arc, like the basketball was in flames like NBA Live 93. Stunning the deliriously loud United States Arena, the Clippers led 39-16 after the quarter.
From there, the Clippers expanded their lead to a whopping 31 points, but no lead is safe in the NBA. Paul George scored 33 points, erupting for 26 in the first half alone. We will get to James Hardens brilliance in a moment.
Spoiler: he won the game with his clutch shots.
The Dallas Mavericks nearly pulled off a historic NBA playoff comeback in Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, rallying from a 31-point first-half deficit.
After slowly erasing the massive deficit, thanks in large part to the jaw dropping ability of Kyrie Irving. Irving practically carried the Mavericks in their comeback effort, providing the only consistent scoring threat while nearly all of his teammates struggled. The 13-year veteran scored 40 points while hitting shots from all over the court (including 6-for-12 on 3’s). That tied the third-highest postseason scoring total of his career.
The Clippers led 39–16 after the first quarter and 66–49 at halftime. At one point, the Mavericks nearly erased the deficit in the third quarter, outscoring L.A. 29–16.
A major factor in the Mavericks’ comeback was shutting down George and Harden after explosive performances in the first half. After combining for 44 points in the opening frame, George was limited to two points on 1-for-3 shooting while Harden went scoreless.
James Harden also tallied 33 points for Los Angeles, but was crucial at the end with 15 points in the fourth quarter on 6-for-8 shooting. Overall, he shot 12-for-17 from the field and 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. The Beard made a series of floaters which is why we got him.
Kudos to Terrence Mann, who played aggressive old school Playoff ball on Luka Doncic. Obviously Luka whined, but Mann kept Doncic in check. It was a team victory, and Head Coach Ty Lue kept his team resilient.
Dallas took a 105–104 lead with 2:14 remaining in the fourth quarter on a layup by Kyrie Irving, who also hit a long 3-pointer on the previous possession. However, a step back 3-pointer from the corner by Paul George gave the Clippers a 107–105 lead that ultimately held up for a 116–111 victory. The series is now tied 2–2 going into Wednesday’s Game 5.
Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday in what is now a best-of-three series returning to Los Angeles. Tip-off is set for 7;00 pm with the broadcast on TNT.
