After a pretty significant game one loss to the Clippers, Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks are right back on track. After a long fought defensive battle the Mavs were able to edge out a win 96-93 in a relatively low scoring game. Both Luka and Kyrie showed up posting 55 combined points. They also got much needed help from PJ Washington who posted 18 and Derik Jones Jr. who added 10. The real key though for this game wasn't the scoring numbers from the Mavs dynamic duo. Instead it was the improved defensive presence from the Mavs as a whole but especially from Luka Dončić.
Luka is a player who has never been known for his defensive ability. Many fans and players throughout the league always take note of this and publicly state that he lacks defensive presence. That was simply not the case in last nights game. Luka was all over the place, especially when guarding the Clippers main core. When guarded by Luka, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden scored a combined 0 points. Also Clippers players in total are shooting a total of 28.2% when guarded by Luka in this series. Luka mentioned in a post game interview that it is playoff basketball now and everything is more important. He knows that defense is key in these types of series so he made the adjustment. In order for them to win these tuff series Luka must amp up the defensive pressure and that's exactly what he has been doing.
Heading into game 3 back in Dallas, the Mavericks are sitting exactly where they want to be. With the next two games being at home, they can take likely take the lead in the series with home court advantage being so key in this years playoffs. If this type of play continues from the Mavs, the Clippers are in for a real treat the rest of this series.
Overall, many were skeptical of how the Mavs duo would play out in the long run, but things are shaping up nicely for the Mavs and everything is falling into place right when they need it. The rest of this series will be no easy task, but if the Luka and the Mavs can keep up this much needed defensive presence they are in real good standing to win the series.
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