The Dallas Mavericks have been involved in some hard-fought contests recently, including a narrow victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. After leading the Mavs to a win, Luka Doncic spoke about being able to go toe-to-toe with Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.

“The last two games were like playoffs,” Mavs star Luka Doncic said, via Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “We played hard, and that’s how we’ve got to be ready for the playoffs if we make it.”

On Tuesday, the Mavericks squared off with the Clippers, with Los Angeles getting the upper-hand as they secured a 10-point win over Dallas. However, Doncic and the Mavericks bounced back against the Clippers in a rematch on Wednesday night, handing Los Angeles a 16-point loss at home.

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Going 1-1 against the Clippers in a short span between games is something that the Mavericks are accustomed to, having faced the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs in the NBA bubble during the 2019-2020 season. Despite Doncic's heroic efforts without Kristaps Porzingis in the lineup for the majority of the series, Dallas would lose to Los Angeles in six games.

As of this moment, the Mavericks hold a 21-18 record, which has them on the cusp of possibly missing the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The good news for Dallas is that they've been playing better of late, winning seven of their past 10 games.

In the past few days, the Mavs have been tested by the Clippers in games that Doncic said felt like a playoff atmosphere. Even though Dallas still has their work cut out for them, Doncic is confident the team is heading in the right direction in time for the postseason.