Clippers' Paul George, Terance Mann Talk Defending Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic

The two Clippers starters discussed the challenges of defending Doncic on the latest episode of George's podcast

Apr 28, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) drives to the basket as Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann (14) defends / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

On the latest episode of Paul George's show "Podcast P," George brought on his Clippers' teammate Terance Mann to discuss a variety of topics, including defending the Mavericks' Luka Doncic. Mann has been the primary defender on Doncic when he's been on the floor and has held the superstar to 6/26 on shots defended by Mann.

Listen to the ep wherever you get your podcasts!

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— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) April 30, 2024

"It ain't easy, I'll tell you that," Mann would say when asked about defending Doncic. "I think it's more mental than anything with him because he's going to make the tough shots, he's going to take the tough shots and you see them go in and you think you're playing good defense... it's tough. The pump fake, (he's going) to get you a couple times in a series, he got (Paul George) a couple times. I don't know why he got (Paul)... on a move I told him to stay down on... I think mentally, it's just taxing but a lot of film is helping me out... and the coaches."

"I think it's great with so many defensive-minded guys on the team, it's kinda fun to share," George would say after. "We all have and take our own notes and at the end of the quarter, end of the game, end of the day we kinda like share notes with each other of what we've collected of how to guard guys."

George didn't want to get into too many specifics about their gameplan since they're still in the middle of the series, but in general, they talk about rules when a player is on a certain side of the floor or what it takes to have success in certain defensive situations.

Mann and Doncic have a history against each other, talking trash to each other really since Mann got into the league in 2019. They talked about that in this episode as well.

"There's a lot of dialogue, but it's not as much trash-talking as it used to be," Mann stated. "I think over the years everybody kind of gained each other's respect and it's not as harsh as it was when it started... It used to be crazy, it used to be real crazy... It could be a regular season game on a Thursday in January where we're talking crazy."

Then Paul George joked that PJ Washington was on Mann's list after the mean mugging in Game 3, but Mann laughed it off and brushed it aside saying "He got his pics off, his pics for the Gram (Instagram)."

Luka Doncic has struggled for his standards in this series, shooting a playoff career-low 38.6% from the floor, yet is still averaging 29 PPG. Mann's defense has played a part, but Doncic has also been dealing with a sprained knee that he's been playing through.

Game 5 will be at 9 p.m. CST from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers tied the series with a 116-111 win in Game 4 after losing a 31-point lead, but strong finishes by James Harden down the stretch led them to the victory.

READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic Navigates Knee Sprain Before Crucial Game 5 Against Clippers

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