The LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks are two of the hottest teams in the NBA as both are currently riding five-game win streaks. Here is what you need to watch for as Luka Doncic takes on Kawhi Leonard and company.
The LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks meet for the first time Tuesday night and both teams are playing the best basketball they’ve played all season. The Clippers have seen the true potential of having both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the floor together and the Mavericks are seeing Luka Doncic dominate at only 20 years of age.
Doncic has easily cemented his spot in the MVP conversation through 16 games, posting 30.6 points per game along with 10.1 rebounds and 9.8 assists per contest. He has also posted the second best player efficiency rating(PER) in the association sitting behind Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Adding to Doncic’s success, the Mavericks know how to put the ball in the basket, averaging 119.1 points per game which sits again behind the Bucks for second in the association. This has been made painfully obvious to opposing defenses over the course of their five-game win streak as Dallas has put up a blistering 129.8 points per game including a 142-94 thrashing of the Golden State Warriors.
Meanwhile, though not showing much statistically yet, the Clippers are finally gaining traction on how well they can truly play defensively with Leonard, George and Patrick Beverley all making contributions to stop opposing offenses. The Clippers have only surrendered 104.2 points per game over the course of their five-game win streak and have moved into the top-10 in points allowed per game in the association.
The scary thing about both of these squads is that both rank in the top-five in points differential, the Clippers doing so in a more defensive manner while the Mavericks are basically outscoring every team in sight.
Doncic hasn’t been the only efficient player on the squad either. Kristaps Porzingis has played well after his injury struggles last season, averaging 18.5 per game while JJ Barea surprisingly posts a near 30 PER and is shooting 71 percent from beyond the arc while playing about 15 minutes a game, so the Mavericks have more than just Doncic to worry about.
The Clippers meanwhile have three lights out shooters on their roster in Leonard, George and Lou Williams, who are all averaging more than 20 points per contest and shooting above 43 percent from the field respectively.
Watching Doncic versus Leonard should be fun and seeing each teams role players make a difference in the contest will truly see who continues to stay hot and who loses their first game in nearly two weeks. The Mavericks must find a way to continue their impeccable shooting totals while the Clippers may have to find ways to keep up with the Dallas offense. Either way, fans should be in store for a doozy.
Neither team has had longer than a two-game win streak against the other since the Clippers won two straight over the Mavericks in 2017. The Mavericks lead the all-time series 93-63.
The LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks tip off on Tuesday night at 5:30pm PT.