5 thoughts from Mavericks-Clippers Game 2: Pivotal win as series moves to Dallas

LOS ANGELES — Here are five quick thoughts from the Mavericks’ grind-it-out, 96-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 2 Tuesday night in Crypto.com Arena.

Pivotal outcome

How important was this win? By tying the series at 1-1, Dallas seized homecourt advantage and shifted the pressure onto the Clippers, who clearly viewed Game 2 as pivotal in that they used Kawhi Leonard, despite him not having taken part in games or contact work in more than three weeks.

A 2-0 series deficit would have put Dallas in a big hole, historically speaking. Teams that start 2-0 have gone on to win seven-game series 91.1% of the time (314-27).

Conversely, when series are tied at 1-1, the Game 3 winner has gone on to win 73.7% of the time (193-69). Game 3 of the series is Friday night at American Airlines Center and Game 4 is Sunday afternoon at AAC.

Kawhi Leonard returns

For the first time since March 31, Clippers star Leonard returned to the court. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue predicted that Leonard would be rusty offensively, but said, “You know what he brings to the table defensively and rebounding the basketball.”

Sure enough, Leonard went scoreless until 10:18 remained in the second quarter and he finished the first half with four points on 2-of-6 shooting.

Leonard entered the game having averaged 30 points and 8.7 rebounds in his last 50 playoff games, but on Tuesday he finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.

Which team’s stars shined brightest?

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was blunt during his pregame media availability: “I think it starts with our two stars,” he said of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. “They have to get off to a better start. Those two have to set the tone.”

Instead, Doncic and Irving started a combined 0-for-5. While Doncic warmed up, scoring 12 first-quarter points, Irving for the second straight game didn’t record his first basket until the second quarter.

Defensively, Dallas limited Clippers stars Leonard, Paul George and James Harden to a combined 54 points, but offensively Mavs stars Doncic and Irving struggled from the field. Doncic scored 32 points and Irving scored 23, and they were a combined 19 of 44 from the field.

Doncic and Irving came up big in the fourth quarter, though, scoring eight straight points to take the game from a 73-70 Clippers lead to an 81-73 Dallas lead. Doncic’s 3-pointer with 1:26 left gave the Mavericks a commanding 90-81 cushion.

Battle in the middle

In Game 1, Ivica Zubac personally outscored (20-6) and outrebounded (15-4) Dallas’ center tandem of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, scoring 10 of Los Angeles’ first 29 points.

In Game 2, the Mavericks made a concerted effort to challenge Zubac defensively, driving at him on three of their first four possessions. It worked: Zubac was whistled for two fouls in the first 2:34. By halftime he only had two points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.

More troubling for Dallas is that starting center Daniel Gafford, though he helped contain Zubac early, for the second straight game failed to make an impact offensively or on the boards. Gafford left in the first quarter with a lower back injury. Though he returned in the second quarter, he went without a point or rebound in eight first-half minutes – a repeat of Game 1, when he finished with 3 points and zero rebounds in 14 minutes.

Pace? What pace?

Kidd flatly said before the game: “We have to play with pace if we’re going to win.” That certainly didn’t happen during this Game 2 slugfest, with Dallas mustering 23 points in the first quarter, 22 in the second and 20 in the third. Hey, at least none of the quarters were as abysmal as Dallas’ 8-point second quarter of Game 1.