The Mavericks once again held the Clippers to under 100 points in their Game 3 win and, at one point, were up by 21 points. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving put in their best tag team effort, as Doncic dominated in the first half, while Irving took over after halftime. It was a complete team effort from a Dallas team that appears to have shaken off the embarrassing Game 1 loss against this Clippers team.
L.A., on the other hand, looked out of rhythm on offense, as Paul George and Kawhi Leonard combined for just 16 points. PG will have to step it up in Game 4, as Leonard has been ruled out indefinitely with knee inflation.
Here’s what to know ahead of Game 4:
Mavericks at Clippers — Game 4
Date: Sunday, April 28 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: American Airlines Center — Dallas
TV channel: ABC | Live stream: fubo (try for free)
Odds: Mavericks -5.5; O/U 209.5
Storylines
Mavericks: Doncic has been leading the Mavericks, but he’s been rather inefficient in doing so. It’s not super alarming, but he’s shooting just 37.7% from the field and 30% from deep. The 3-pointer clearly isn’t falling for him, and yet in Game 2, he settled for some poor shots from deep despite going 3 of 14 from beyond the arc. Dallas needs him to be a bit smarter in his shot selection, especially when the 3-ball isn’t falling. Doncic is still turning in elite performances, and he continues to put in a great deal of effort defensively, but if the Mavericks want to go on a deep run they’ll need him to start upping his efficiency.
Clippers: With Leonard ruled out of Game 4 with knee inflammation, the Clippers can’t afford for someone like George to have an off night. James Harden did his job, but he didn’t get much help elsewhere in the starting lineup. Norman Powell had 21 points off the bench, but that won’t do it against a Mavericks team that has all the momentum heading into Game 4.
Prediction
The Mavericks are likely riding high after their Game 3 win, and in most cases, it would make sense to pick them to carry that momentum into another win. But Dallas has a tendency to relax after big wins, and after the Clippers practically no-showed in Game 3, I’m betting on George to have a bounce-back game and lead L.A. to a win. The Pick: Clippers +5.5