Three takeaways from a LA Clippers victory over the Dallas Mavericks
It’s easy to say that this is Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s world and we are simply living it after performances like last night’s. Both played a combined 57:53 and they combined for 54 points, 6 assists, and 12 rebounds.
Kawhi brought most of the offensive spark when it came to generating chances thanks to his legendary handles. He was out there making it look like a baby could out-dribble the Dallas defense, and that got his teammates and him into positions where they could score off the rebound. His 7 defensive rebounds also helped to keep the team going strong without too many hiccups.
George’s night consisted of much the same, but he was sniping for threes instead of driving the net. He went 4-11, but it felt like he was making everything while the game was on, he just banged them in with perfect precision and timing when needed. Much like Kawhi, PG also had 7 defensive rebounds and usually started the offense going down the court.
Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell thrived under the energy that Kawhi and PG brought, and they both combined for 33 points, 7 assists, and 13 rebounds. Lou was 4-7 in three-pointers and was right there with PG in banking beautiful buckets to keep the lead out of Dallas’ hands. Montrezl had a steal and was perfect in his two free throws. He was also being brutal towards that Dallas offense for the 28:00 minutes he was out on the court.
It’s hard to not mention Ivica Zubac and Patrick Beverley as keys to this win as well. They might not have played nearly as much time as the others mentioned, but they still combined for 14 points, 4 assists, and 9 rebounds. Ivica was out there getting rebounds to keep Dallas off the gas pedal while Beverley got a block and a steal on top of the great defense he as bringing.
Next. What to watch for as the LA Clippers face Doncic and Mavericks. dark
Last night’s game was a fantastic team win for the LA Clippers, and it is hard to say that any one person was better than the other besides maybe Kawhi and PG. One thing is for sure, this Clippers team is scary while healthy. They finally got another win on the road that came against the best offense in the league, who knows how high the ceiling is for how great this team could be when they can bounce back like that?
The defense offers heavy enough pressure for any team to turn over the ball for the incredibly hot offense to capitalize with timely threes and incredible slam dunks. Now the one thing the Clippers need is to stay consistent, and they will look to do that today in Memphis against the Grizzlies.