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Playing with their backs against the wall, the Los Angeles Clippers managed to gain their ground on hostile territory as they successfully got back on track against the Dallas Mavericks. Coming from an impressive win on Friday night, head coach Tyronn Lue and his men continued to flip the script as they evened the series by way of a dominant 106-81 win in Game 4 on Sunday night.
Certainly, the Clippers will have to continue their winning momentum as the series heads back to Los Angeles where they have yet to win a playoff game on their home floor this season. However, the Mavs wouldn't want to go down without a fight as they try to replicate their success in Games 1 and 2 and regain the series advantage by coming out with a bounce-back performance in Staples Center.
Here are three bold predictions for the pivotal Game 5 between the Clippers and the Mavs:
1. Luka Doncic will regain his form after having a dismal performance
After watching Sunday's game, it can't be denied that the main reason why the Mavericks weren't able to keep up with the Clippers was because of Luka Doncic's condition. The Slovenian recently sustained a neck strain from their Game 3 loss which carried over upon heading to Game 4 of the series.
Despite the pain, Doncic still suited up but it was evident how the injury bothered his performance on the floor. The neck strain haunted him all night long as he had a rough outing where he only made 9-of-24 shots from the field and 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. Doncic ended the night with a dismal tally of 19 points, six rebounds, and six assists – a far cry from his series averages of 33.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.3 assists.
Certainly enough, the Mavs greatly missed the all-around production of their main man which caused them to absorb a tough 106-81 beating from the Clippers. Similar to Game 4, Doncic is still expected to play amid the pain as he tries to carry the team on his back despite not being 100%. After seeing the outcome of Sunday night's game, Doncic will definitely need to come out with a stronger performance in a bid to get his team a win and bring them back into the driver's seat of this series.
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2. The Clippers will continue to outrebound the Mavericks
In the first four games of the series, the Clippers have successfully won the battle of the boards against the Mavs thus far. Dallas' shortage of reliable big men continues to haunt them in the paint, not to mention Kristaps Porzingis' continuous struggles from the field in this series.
Through the first four tilts, the Latvian big man has yet to find his form as he averages 15.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 32.3 minutes of action. In Game 4, the Clippers took advantage of the Mavs' lack of rebounding as they dominated the glass with 53 total rebounds compared to 41 for Dallas. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Ivica Zubac, and Marcus Morris all grabbed a good number of boards of their own to give their team added possessions throughout the game.
The Clippers' ability to control the boards definitely helped them gain a huge advantage over their opponents, especially playing against an injured Doncic and a struggling Porzingis. After seeing the disparity in the rebounding department, the Mavs' other big men in Maxi Kleber, Boban Marjanovic, and Willie Cauley-Stein should all step up and establish their presence in the paint in order to give the team a greater chance of winning Game 5 on the road.
3. Los Angeles will secure Game 5 victory to take a 3-2 series lead
After seeing themselves on the losing end of a 2-0 lead, the Clippers successfully turned the table as they grabbed huge wins in the last two games. In Game 3, Luka Doncic exploded for 44 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists but the Clippers still managed to escape with a 118-108 victory primarily due to the depth of their roster.
Game 4 of the series turned out to be an easier contest to handle for Los Angeles as they battled an injured Doncic who was limited to dismal numbers on the floor. After winning the last two games on the road, there is no doubt that the Clippers have already regained their confidence as they look to take the series lead for the first time on Wednesday night.
Given that Luka Doncic is still experiencing pain due to his neck strain, dominant performances from both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George should already give the Clippers a good chance of securing a much-needed victory in Game 5 to finally gain the upper hand in this series.
