The Dallas Mavericks came within a hair’s breadth of a historic comeback – but came away losers in Game 4. The Los Angeles Clippers evened the series in a wild game thanks to a 116-111 win
It seemed as if the Dallas Mavericks had had a completely bad day. Initially, nothing came together in offense for the home side in the fourth game of the first-round series against the Clippers. The first quarter was more than clearly lost by 16:39, Dallas missed all of its first eleven attempts from the three-point line – and the Clippers were hot as chips.
Led by Paul George, the visitors from the City of Angels managed almost everything at the start of the game, as evidenced by a difficult three by the 33-year-old with his hand in his face for his points 14, 15 and 16 in the first period and a buzzer-beater from distance by Norman Powell at the end of the first quarter. All that without Kawhi Leonard, mind you, who had to miss out through injury.
This pattern continued in the second quarter, with the Clippers leading by as many as 31 points at one stage. Dallas finally sank its first three-pointer in the twelfth attempt, Kyrie Irving caught fire – and breathed new life into the Mavs. That laid the foundation for the comeback after the break.
Dallas working on historic comeback
Dallas now played much better defensively, George was hardly a factor in the second half and the Mavs gradually worked on their comeback. Towards the end of the third quarter, the home side even reduced the deficit to -2. Even another setback, when L.A. opened up a double-digit gap again in the final period, did not rattle Dallas: Doncic’s three-pointer five minutes before the end actually tied the game again.
It remained a thriller until the final buzzer: James Harden put the Clippers ahead, Irving countered for Dallas – his lay-up against three defenders gave the Mavs the lead with two minutes remaining. George was suddenly there again with a difficult corner three-pointer and Harden crowned his strong fourth quarter with a buttery floater. Dallas, on the other hand, missed a three-pointer and L.A. finally brought the victory home from the free throw line.
Leonard may be out for a longer period of time
This allowed the Clippers to level the series with their nail-biting win (2:2). George was his team’s top scorer with 33 points (7/10 threes) together with Harden, who scored 15 of his 33 points (12/17 from the field) in the fourth quarter. Irving was the Mavs’ best man with 40 points, while Doncic collected a triple-double (29 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds, but 1/9 threes). Maxi Kleber contributed three points and two rebounds in 22 minutes for the Mavs, while Daniel Theis did not play for the Clippers.
If Dallas had turned the 31-point deficit into a win, the Mavs would have set the record for the biggest comeback in a playoff game. That belongs to the Clippers, of all teams, after they overturned a 31-point deficit against the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the first playoff round in 2019.
The series continues on Thursday night with Game 5, then again in Los Angeles. However, the Clippers may have to do without Leonard for the rest of the series. The 32-year-old is suffering from problems with his right knee, on which he has already undergone surgery. The Clippers left it open on Sunday whether Leonard will be able to return to the court in the coming days.
