The Mavericks beat the Clippers in Los Angeles 93-123, with a great game from Doncic, to leave the Texans one victory away from the semifinals, where the Thunder await. The Slovenian led his team to victory with 35 points and 10 assists, despite his physical problems: “My knee is not good, but this is the adrenaline in a playoff game,” said one of the three candidates for MVP of the regular season.
The former Real Madrid player scored 20 of the 35 points in the second half, 14 of them in the third quarter, to put the finishing touch on the Clippers, who only appeared at the beginning of the clash. Doncic also became the fourth player in league history to average 35 points and 10 assists in the playoffs. Likewise, he is the first to have eight assists and eight rebounds in the playoffs. All this without being one hundred percent.
The Clippers showed a very different side than in the fourth game, especially their two strongholds. Paul George had 15 points and 11 rebounds, but with a poor 4 of 13 shooting from the field. For his part, James Harden only managed seven points, a completely opposite version of the previous match, which the Clippers won.
The Angelenos, who still cannot count on Kawhi Leonard, lost 13 balls and their averages were terrible, with 38% in field goals and 26 from the perimeter. Now, to advance to the next phase, they must win their two games, one of them, the next, in Dallas. The Mavericks have faced the tie and can finish it on Friday in front of their fans.
On the other hand, those who have already eliminated their rival are the Celtics, after beating the Heat 118-84 at the TD Garden. The Massachusetts team, the top favorite for the ring, took revenge on the Florida team after last year’s defeat in the Conference final.
The game, and the tie, did not have much history, as Miami suffered the losses of Butler, its best player, and Rozier. In the franchise led by Erik Spoelstra, only Adebayo, with 23 points, and Herro, with 15, appeared, and in dribs and drabs, but offering a level well below the second game, where the Heat’s only victory in this series came.
Quite the opposite for the Celtics, who did not notice Porzingis’ absence. Tatum, with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Brown, with 25, shone on the team led by Joe Mazzulla. Likewise, Derrick White, who does not have the same role as the previous two, also scored 25 points, continuing his good momentum in these playoffs.
Boston is already in the Conference semifinals, where they will face the winner of Cavaliers-Magic. The year for those from Massachusetts is being outstanding and they want to close it in style, achieving a ring that has eluded them for 16 years.
