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The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Dallas Mavericks for the second consecutive time in the 2021 NBA Playoffs on Tuesday night. Even with Kawhi Leonard dropping 41 points, it wasn't enough to outscore the Mavericks. Down 0-2 in the series, the Clippers should now be in panic mode.
Losing two home games is hard on this team and now they have to make up for it on the road. Luka Doncic has been lights out this series and on Tuesday night, recorded 39 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. However, the Clippers' problems are not just about Doncic.
There also seems to be a lack of defense from Los Angeles, as the Clippers are allowing nearly everyone on Dallas to score at will. Additionally, the Clippers' offense is really only being generated by two players. The rest of the roster isn't playing up to par, which is hurting Los Angeles in the playoffs.
In both games so far, the Dallas Mavericks supporting cast has stepped up to help Luka Doncic. On Tuesday night, Tim Hardaway Jr. served as the second scoring option, lighting up the scoreboard with 28 points and 5 assists. Kristaps Porzingis also dropped 20 points, giving Dallas three legitimate scoring options in this matchup.
Dallas shot 52.9% from beyond the arc, and 58.5% altogether. The Mavs are essentially scoring at will, which doesn't bode well for the Clippers. Considering how much defensive talent on Los Angeles, it's surprising to see Luka Doncic's supporting cast play so well.
If the Clippers hope to win this series, they'll need to readjust their game plan for game three and beyond, as a third loss would be detrimental to Los Angeles. Defensively, their best bet is to take away Luka's teammates. The Clippers are so caught up in trying to stop Luka, they're leaving his teammates wide open. To close the gap on this series, the Clippers might want to switch it up defensively. They could opt to play hardcore, in-your-face defense on the other four players on the court and allow Luka to do it all himself. This would force Dallas into a situation where the game becomes 5-1 after taking away Luka's passing outlets.
On the other hand, the Clippers have to find a way to generate offense outside of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Reggie Jackson did score 15 points in Game 2, but as a third option, that just won't be enough. If Los Angeles can get one other player to step up and average 20 points per game, this team should be able to win some games this series.
At this moment, Los Angeles just seems out-manned and outmatched. Leonard and George are left stranded doing it all and being forced to watch excellent team play coming out of Dallas. The Mavericks are following Luka's lead and hitting their shots when given the opportunity. Everything is working for Dallas while Los Angeles struggles to keep up.
The Clippers have to make some adjustments defensively if they hope to even the series and a role player needs to step up as a consistent scoring option as well. If LA can do that then its playoff hopes stay alive. However, based on the first two games, this is much easier said than done. Catch Game 3 on Friday, where the Clippers travel to Dallas for their first road game this postseason.
