The Mavericks have seen this movie before. Specifically, Luka Doncic.
Three postseasons ago, his Mavericks entered Game 6 with a chance to oust the LA Clippers in the first round of his second playoff appearance. Dallas failed to live up to the moment, not just once, but twice to lose the series in seven games.
That wasn’t the case this time around. Not with this coach at the helm. And not with a more balanced roster, including another prolific scorer as his co-star.
The third time was the charm as the Mavericks avenged their past and eliminated the Clippers from the first round of the playoffs with a dominant 114-101 win in Game 6 on Friday night.
Kyrie Irving put the exclamation point on an electrifying second-half performance by breaking down Clippers forward P.J. Tucker with several dribble combinations before creating enough space to launch a fadeaway 3-pointer. Tucker fouled Irving in front of the Mavericks’ bench simultaneously as the ball went through the net. It sparked a thunderous reaction from the sellout crowd of 20,625 at American Airlines Center. Irving’s teammates swarmed him to celebrate — his favorite part of the moment.
“We knew that was the dagger of the series and we were already up, but those momentum-shifters mean a great deal,” said Irving, who overcame another slow start.
No caption needed 😮💨 https://t.co/AzYgvL2YSx pic.twitter.com/FbcKyZkC8K
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) May 4, 2024
The first shift in momentum occurred as soon as the ball was inbounded in the third quarter. The Mavs were deadlocked at 52 with the Clippers before Irving and Doncic combined to score eight consecutive points to begin the period. Doncic’s only 3-pointer in 10 tries happened during that stretch.
Irving, acquired by Dallas last season to help shoulder some of the scoring load next to Doncic, did exactly that as he scored 28 of his game-high 30 points in the final 24 minutes of the game. His flawless record in playoff closeout games improved to 13-0, a mark that even surprised Doncic after the game.
“You know I like to say the word amazing, so I’ll use the word unbelievable,” Doncic said about Irving. “It’s even more special. To have a guy like that on your team, it’s just a pleasure.”
Irving had just two points on 1-of-6 shooting in the first half and didn’t appear quite comfortable on offense. He admitted that he didn’t get as many looks as he was accustomed to, but wanted to make an imprint on the game in the second half. His fourth three of the game sparked a smile by Doncic, and they embraced soon after.
“It’s easy to play alongside somebody like that,” Irving said. “But you also have to be sure of yourself because when somebody’s that special it’s easy to kind of fall into that secondary role. There’s no primary, secondary – we’re one team. We succeed together. We fail together. And that’s always been the M.O. since the beginning of the season.”
Five players reached double scoring figures for Dallas, but another momentum-shifting play belonged to Daniel Gafford, who finished with 13 points and six rebounds. The Mavericks center started the game with foul trouble, but he had his most forceful play of the entire series as he took one dribble, threw his elbow into the chest of Ivica Zubac and slammed the ball through the hoop as he was fouled. One minute later, he threw down another dunk.
P.J. Washington added four 3-pointers for 14 points. Dereck Lively II added 10 points and nine boards off the bench.
Doncic finished with 28 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists. He went to the free-throw line 11 times, and each time “MVP” chants grew louder. He’s preached throughout the series that Irving was the difference-maker this time around. Doncic’s been consistent with shifting the narrative back to the present when asked about previous playoff matchups against the Clippers.
This time, he acknowledged the satisfaction of beating that same team.
“Of course, I lost twice to them so it’s even bigger motivation to beat them,” Doncic said. “They have a great team. We have to work really, really hard to beat them. I’m glad that we did it this time.”
After two consecutive playoff losses to the Clippers, the Mavericks met the magnitude of the moment and avoided another trip back to Los Angeles. Mostly everyone on the roster wore black attire to the game, mirroring the color of their city edition jerseys and perhaps, dressed metaphorically as if they were preparing for a funeral.
With the win, the Mavericks advanced past the first round for the second time in coach Jason Kidd’s three seasons with the team. Before Kidd’s arrival in 2021, Dallas failed to make the Western Conference semifinals since its championship season in 2011.
The Mavericks will set their sights toward Oklahoma City, hoping to duplicate the success they had against their recent playoff nemesis.
“We’ll just enjoy it,” Kidd said. “I don’t say much in front of the cameras. ... To beat the Clippers is no easy task. It wasn’t a given. Those guys earned it. They have tomorrow off, and we’ll get back to work on Sunday.”
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
