The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Clippers by a final score of 123-93 in Game 5 of their playoff series on Wednesday. Dallas now holds a 3-2 series lead and they will have an opportunity to clinch a series victory with a win in Game 6. Luka Doncic led the way on Wednesday night despite battling a knee injury and an illness.
Dallas cruised to their Game 5 win. For Luka, though, it doesn't matter what the final score is in playoff games. What matters is taking care of business.
“In the playoffs it doesn't matter if we win by one or win by 50,” Doncic said on TNT after the game. “We got to win one more.”
Doncic entered the game with a sprained knee to go along with the aforementioned illness. Nether ailment bothered him too much, as Doncic led Dallas with 35 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. He struggled with his three-point shot once again, ultimately shooting just 2-8 from deep.
Luka was efficient from inside the three-point line, however. The Mavericks star shot 14-26 (53.8 percent) from the field.
During his postgame press conference, Doncic said he tried not to think about his injury or illness during the game, per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. When asked if he was playing on adrenaline, Doncic said, “Yeah, I mean it's playoffs… There's a lot of adrenaline, lot of emotion so you just keep going.”
Luka Doncic, Mavericks get the job done in Game 5
Doncic had plenty of help on Wednesday night.
Kyrie Irving's numbers will not jump off the page, but he led the Mavs with a plus-minus of 35. He ultimately recored 14 points, six assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Irving played hard on both sides of the ball throughout the contest.
Maxi Kleber was second on the Mavericks in points with 15. All of Kleber's points came via the three-pointer, as he connected on five of his seven attempts from long-range.
Derrick Jones Jr. played a quality brand of defense throughout the game. Jones ended up with three blocks. He also had a respectable offensive performance, finishing the win with 12 points.
In the end, it was an all-around steady team effort. Defense told the story, though, as the Mavs frustrated the Clippers all game long.
“I think we did a great job in a lot of games,” Luka Doncic said of the Mavericks defense, via Bally Sports Southwest. “Everybody is on the same page on defense… We know what other players like to do.”
Doncic added that the “communication” and “energy” on defense is the “key.”
The Clippers are going to challenge the Mavs on Friday. Los Angeles still believes they can make a comeback in the series.
“Today I think was a very big game,” Doncic said. “I know we got to win one out of two, so we got to go back to Dallas… We know our fans are going to be amazing at home. So we just gotta win one more.”
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