Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic knows his team really went to the brink in defeating the L.A. Clippers, during the Western Conference NBA Playoffs. Doncic confessed to being exhausted following the conclusion of the series.
“It's important to get rest now,” Doncic said, per the Dallas Morning News. Doncic was particularly pleased that the team was able to defeat the Clippers in six games, which means the club gets a little extra rest before starting the next playoff series.
Doncic and the Mavs
The Mavericks defeated the Clippers on Friday, 114-101, to win their series in six games. The Mavs were paced by Kyrie Irving, who finished the game with 30 points. Doncic poured in another 28, playing a heavy load of minutes to push Dallas past the pesky Clippers. Doncic had a double-double, as he dished out 13 assists. He also finished the game with 7 rebounds. The team had three other players finish in double figures in scoring, including P.J. Washington.
The star guard Doncic is playing a leading role for his Dallas team. On the season, he averaged nearly a triple-double. His astonishing stats included a scoring average of nearly 34 points a contest. He also averaged more than 9 assists, and more than 9 rebounds a game.
In the playoff series against the Clippers, Doncic battled some cold shooting. He shot only 1-for-10 from three-point range in Game 6. That continued a streak of cold shooting from the perimeter in this series, and Doncic will have to find his stroke if the Mavericks are going to advance to the NBA Finals. In the last four games of the Clippers series, Doncic made 7-for-41 of his threes.
Rest might help the situation for Doncic, who has played an enormous amount of minutes recently. The guard has played at least 40 minutes a game in four of the last five contests. That's higher than his season average, which was 37. His legs may be a reason why he's not shooting the ball as well as usual. On the season, Doncic is making 38 percent of his three-point attempts. He is also shooting about 49 percent from the field.
Doncic certainly can't win on his own, so it is promising that the Mavericks helped pass the wealth around. Irving's offense can certainly offset an off-night for Doncic. Dallas also had a great effort defensively in Game 6. The Clippers were held to only 41 percent shooting from the field. Los Angeles also struggled from the perimeter, making under 26 percent of their three-point shots.
Dallas fans certainly hope Doncic is well-rested for the next series. The Mavericks play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next round of the Western Conference Playoffs. Game 1 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday. The ball is scheduled to tip at 9:30 Eastern.
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