LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Clippers couldn’t keep their chances at a championship run alive, suffering a 114-101 loss in front of a rowdy Dallas Mavericks crowd Friday night.
After getting humiliated 123-93 in Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena, the odds were not in the Clippers’ favor as they headed back to Dallas for Game 6. Then, those odds decreased even further after Kawhi Leonard’s knee inflammation was likely to keep him out for the entire series. The Clippers were already struggling without their leading scorer.
Game 6 was not nearly the same domination by the Mavs that Game 5 was. The first half was in Dallas’ hands until a 15-2 Clippers run late in the second quarter brought LA back to life.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue seemed to have found a solid lineup in that quarter by bringing Norman Powell off the bench and having him play with the Clippers’ starters in PJ Tucker’s place. Powell hit several big shots that helped the Clippers reduce the 12-point deficit and Terrance Mann seemed like the right defender against Luka Doncic, as Mann held Dallas’ starman to zero field goals in the last six minutes of the first half.
But things quickly fell apart.
With the game tied at 52 apiece going into halftime, the Clippers looked like a brand new team and were firing on all cylinders. However, in the first two minutes of the second half, Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for eight Mavericks points and Lue was forced to call a quick timeout. The Mavericks never looked back and outscored the Clippers by 15 in the third quarter.
Irving struggled in the first half scoring just two points, but caught fire in the second half and finished with 30 on the night. Up by 20 points, Irving sealed the deal after converting on a four-point play halfway through the fourth quarter. Doncic finished with 28 points, while the Clippers were led by Paul George and Powell with 18 and 20, respectively.
When the Clippers signed James Harden in November, many expected the trio of Leonard, Harden and George to take LA far into the playoffs. Those expectations looked even more likely to come true when they stood at a 35-16 record in mid-February. However, issues arose toward the end of the season that were never addressed and the Mavericks exposed the Clippers’ weaknesses throughout the series.
Where it went wrong for the Clippers
The first and biggest issue for the Clippers throughout the year was the lack of an interior player who could rebound and defend consistently. Tyronn Lue frequently switched between Ivica Zubac, Daniel Theis and Mason Plumlee, eventually settling on Zubac once he recovered from an injury in early February. Zubac had his moments and was able to contribute offensively, but the Mavericks’ athleticism prevented Zubac from keeping up in transition. Plumlee was given a chance later in the first quarter in Game 6, but the same issues remained.
Conceding offensive rebounds were another major issue for the Clippers and in the first quarter of Game 6 the Mavericks had collected six offensive boards before the first TV timeout was called. Dallas’ big men, especially rookie Dereck Lively II, who grabbed 5 of his own, gave the Mavericks multiple second-chance opportunities on which they often capitalized. Theis may have been a better option than Zubac when fighting for loose balls since he’s quicker and more feisty in the frontcourt, but Lue never gave him the chance.
One other problem for the Clippers that had nothing to do with basketball: body language. Oftentimes the Clippers’ body language was extremely poor, and players often hanged their heads when the game was not going their way. Without Leonard healthy to lead LA in this series, the team’s morale issues seemed exacerbated and the Clippers didn’t appear to have the same confidence they did when they were winning game after game in the middle of the regular season.
The Clippers have some big choices to make this offseason after an early playoff exit. They’ve already extended Leonard’s contract, but George’s status is up in the air and it won’t be a surprise if he signs elsewhere. George and Harden are two of the best scorers in the league, but the chemistry between the Clippers’ big three was too inconsistent to be confident in that group moving forward, especially with how the season ended.
Regardless of the roster the Clippers have next October, the Clippers will need to pack the newly-built Intuit Dome and create an environment that opposing teams dread playing in front of. Crypto.com Arena was always going to be the Lakers’ impenetrable home, but now that the Clippers have their own arena, it may mark the start of a new era of Clippers basketball.