The LA Clippers began Game 3 of their first round playoff series down 6-20.
The Dallas Mavericks made five of their first seven threes, and the LA Clippers looked like they were in for a long night.
It wasn’t even just the score, but the way it was happening. Luka Doncic, who had torched the Clippers in Games 1 and 2 for 70 total points in the two contests, hit two threes and another field goal to start the game on an 8-0 run.
The worst part? For each shot, he shot over Ivica Zubac, who had a really tough time guarding Doncic this series. For all three shots, Doncic had forced Zubac to switch on to him.
It felt like Game 1 all over again. But then, the Clippers battled back and cut the lead to just a three-point advantage heading into the second quarter.
The Dallas Mavericks, however, were 29-0 after leading at the end of the first quarter this season. The Clippers had been playing better, but the Mavs were still liking their chances.
The Clippers ended up winning 118-108, and it truly showed that this team has the resilience to fight back from a series deficit. They went down 0-2 to start this series, both of those losses being home games.
Imagine coming into this game with that hovering over your head, and then you start the game trailing by 14. Many teams would have folded, but the Clippers found their mental toughness and pulled through. They pulled through against a team that had never lost after leading at the end of the first quarter.
After that 20-6 run by Dallas out of the gate, Kawhi Leonard came alive. As soon as Kawhi found himself, Paul George started balling. It created a domino effect, as everybody seemed to be playing great basketball by the time the final buzzer sounded.
Reggie Jackson came along and hit some clutch threes in the contest. He finished with four three-pointers and 16 points. Marcus Morris, who struggled early, hit three treys from the corner to help put the game away late.
Ivica Zubac, who drew lots of criticism for his defensive blunders early on, crashed the boards and collected some clutch rebounds in the third quarter.
There were many Clippers who struggled early, but they kept their cool, trusted their process, and found their games when it mattered most.
It truly goes to show how ready this team is to make a series comeback. Their backs were fully up against the wall, but they stayed patient and responded with a statement win in the first road game of the series.
Leonard was sensational. He put up 36 points while shooting 13 of 17 from the field and 3 of 5 from three. He secured eight rebounds too, and blocked two shots.
George had a crucial impact on the game as well, as he scored 29 points on 11 of 18 shooting, and knocked down two of six threes. He grabbed seven boards, and the two of them really stepped up as leaders in that first quarter.
When the Mavericks couldn’t be stopped out of the gate, it was those two who put the fire out and created a spark of their own.
The chances of the Clippers battling back and winning this series were looking rather slim heading into the game, but the dim light that was at the end of the tunnel looks much brighter after the team win on Friday night.
Game 4 will be on Sunday, where the Clippers will look to keep building momentum before they head back home to Staples Center for Game 5.