Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving Guide Dallas Mavericks to Series-Clinching Game 6 Victory Over Clippers

The Dallas Mavericks advance to the Western Conference Semifinals after achieving a dominant Game 6 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

May 3, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; LA Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) and Dallas Mavericks guard / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks had the chance to close out their first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers during Game 6 at American Airlines Center and took full advantage, achieving a 114-101 victory. The Mavericks advance to the Western Conference Semifinals and will face the Oklahoma City Thunder, the fourth playoff series win in the Luka Doncic era but the first time defeating the Clippers after two past postseason eliminations against them.

“I lost twice to them, so it was an even bigger motivation to beat them," Doncic said. "They have a great team, and you have to work really hard to beat them. So, I am happy.”

May 3, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; LA Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) and Dallas Mavericks guard / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Despite continued struggles from beyond the arc, Doncic delivered 28 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds. He finished the night shooting 9-26 from the floor and 1-10 from the perimeter but did go 9-11 on free throws. Irving had two points at halftime but went on a second-half tear, scoring 30 points on the night and adding six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. Dallas received no shortage of timely plays from both superstars to close out the series.

“It’s easy to play alongside somebody like that. But you also have to be sure of yourself because when somebody’s that special it’s easy to kind of fall into that secondary role. There’s no primary, secondary – we’re one team," Irving said of Doncic. "We succeed together. We fail together. And that’s always been the M.O. since the beginning of the season. We’re a team, and everybody has a specific role.

"Everybody has that skillset that they bring to the team. Just be the best version of yourself," Irving continued. "So, when me and Luka are getting it going like that it just feels good and makes the game a lot easier. Off the court, you know, [he’s a] 25-year-old kid [so I] do my best to make him smile and have good energy and also [he’s a] new father so try to support him in other ways and on the basketball court it just looks seamless."

The Mavericks' center position was a significant plus, proving particularly timely considering Maxi Kleber's night ended after five minutes due to a right shoulder sprain. Danial Gafford scored 13 points and six rebounds, while Dereck Lively II scored 10 points, nine rebounds, and three assists off the bench.

"When you look at our two bigs, Gaff and Lively, both of them can start, one has to start, the other one has to come off the bench," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. "They've been both great in those roles of one starting and the other one coming in, those guys are playing at a very high level and they've helped us defensively and offensively."

On the wings, P.J. Washington added 14 points, five rebounds, and two steals with all four of his made shots from the perimeter on a night the Mavericks struggled to convert. Derrick Jones Jr. chipped in six points, five rebounds, and two assists. Josh Green added seven points and four rebounds. Each of the went beyond the box score by being physical on defense, disrupting the Clippers' offense.

While Kawhi Leonard remained sidelined due to right knee inflammation, the Clippers adjusted their lineup by replacing Amir Coffey with P.J. Tucker. This change reduced floor spacing and did not enhance their ability to limit Doncic. Los Angeles often used Tucker as a screener, knowing Doncic was covering him, which caused soft switches and challenges in containing movements in open spaces.

Irving consistently applied aggressive ball pressure on Harden, especially when the Clippers failed to use screens to switch him off. This approach underscored the team's focus on maintaining a strong defensive identity, highlighted by a superstar's willingness to set a defensive tone. With Jones often disrupting Paul George, Los Angeles' superstars struggled again after having a poor Game 5. Harden ended his night with 16 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds, but shot 6-16 from the floor while missing all six of his 3-point attempts. George had 18 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists but ended his night shooting 6-18 overall and 2-10 from the perimeter.

"Some of the best to ever play the game are recognized for doing on both ends of the floor, and to make an impact on the defensive end, you have to be well conditioned, and you have to have that extra gear," Irving said. "To be able to go guard the best of the best, to make the best of the best miss you, you have to make them feel uncomfortable. You have to know tendencies, you have to study the game of basketball and you also have to appreciate their greatness and not disrespect them.

"I try to have that approach and maintain that consistent mentality that I'll be able to make more of an impact if I'm doing on both ends of the floor, my offense can come and go," Irving explained. "I feel I can, you know, play with the best of them on that end. But defensively, that's where I want to make my mark. I know that it galvanizes the group as well when they see me doing it. So just leading by example and also trying to be up there with the greats, man, that takes consistency and takes the will that comes from internally."

After Washington converted on a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to put the Mavericks up 13-6, the Clippers called a timeout with 7:32 left in the opening period. With Doncic continuing to trust his floor spacers, he found Washington again using another no-look pass, resulting in a made 3-pointer. After Washington's second make, Dallas went up by double figures for the first time.

The Clippers opened up their offense late in the first quarter when they deployed double-drag screens for Harden to attack hard left before spraying it out to George in the weak-side corner. George hit the 3-pointer to bring Los Angeles within 20-15 with 3:56 left in the period. George hit another shot from deep, making it a tightly contested ending to the first quarter.

With the Clippers primarily having Terance Mann guard Irving off the ball, Doncic had success picking apart various ball screen coverages. Against traditional drop coverage, he'd snake into the gap and make a play in short-range, or find a teammate. Against blitzes, he was finding open teammates quickly, often using a no-look pass. He already totaled 14 points and four assists in the first quarter.

There was a clear focus from the Mavericks on crashing the boards early, resulting in significant success on the offensive glass. Dallas closed the opening period with 10 offensive rebounds and scoring 12 second-chance points. The Mavericks recorded 18 offensive rebounds on the night, the most they've had in a playoff game since grabbing 20 against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2011.

Mann took on the Doncic assignment in the second quarter, with the Mavericks frequently screening to draw switches. Los Angeles dialed up a blitz when Harden was put into the action, resulting in a 4-on-3 to create Washington's corner 3-pointer, put the Mavericks up 40-28 early in the second period.

After thriving with double big lineups with Kleber's versatility maximized at the four spot, he suffered a right shoulder sprain, initially making him doubtful to return to action. He ultimately did not return to action. There wasn't known information about his injury's severity or a potential return timetable.

After Doncic found Green on an alley-oop, the Mavericks' lead grew to 13 points. Doncic missed his first six 3-point attempts of the night, slowing down Dallas' momentum at times and creating transition chances for the Clippers. Neither team shot well from the perimeter, but the Mavs' early dominant offensive rebound dissipated. In contrast, the empty offensive possessions gave Los Angeles a favorable open floor and early offense opportunities.

The Mavericks continued to go cold offensively with missed shots and turnovers, setting up the Clippers' rallying effort to close the half. Dallas was contained to 18 points in the second quarter and briefly lost the lead late in the second quarter but entered halftime tied 52-52. Doncic had 18 points and seven assists but shot 5-15 from the floor and 0-7 from deep. Irving was contained to two points in the first half and shot 1-6 overall and 0-2 from the perimeter.

Coming out of the break, the Mavericks went on an 8-0 run led by their superstars, who turned up their shotmaking execution. Both players ended their 3-point shooting drought during this stretch. Irving went on to ultimately score 28 of his 30 overall points after the break, providing to be instrumental in guiding Dallas to closing out the game.

"Amazing. He was trying to get going, and he said to me, ‘I am going to get it going.’ Never in doubt with Kai," Doncic said of Irving's second-half performance. "Just amazing to see the kind of plays he makes.”

A series of highlight dirty work plays from Gafford set the tone for the Mavericks midway through the third quarter. The first included an aggressive drive through Zubac after a stalled possession, creating a thunderous and-one dunk. He later cleaned up a miss at the rim with a putback dunk. Dallas held onto a 67-58 edge entering a timeout with 7:13 left in the third quarter.

Doncic blew by Tucker on the perimeter for a finish off two feet, giving the Mavericks their first double-figure ed since the first half. Irving hit a pull-up 3-pointer to give Dallas a 14-point advantage. The Clippers deployed a small ball lineup with Tucker at the five, then swapped him out for Russell Westbrook to still go small despite Lively being on the floor. Defensively, they deployed late doubles against Doncic to get the ball out of his hands with Irving on the bench.

Westbrook frequently came up empty on rim attacks down the third-quarter stretch, resulting in chances for the Mavericks to have Irving lead a plug-and-play lineup to grow the lead. After a floater followed by a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer, Irving put Dallas up by 15 points. A re-drive chance created by Irving's pass led to a floater for Green, solidifying an 87-72 advantage entering the fourth quarter.

Irving scored the Mavericks' initial five points of the final period, using a pull-up 3-pointer followed by a tough baseline fadeaway. The Clippers were determined to double Doncic, resulting in Dallas relying on Irving to be aggressive in making plays. After Lively exploited a small for a catch-and-finish using his left hand, Dallas led by 20 points with over nine minutes still to play.

The Clippers began picking up full court to make it more challenging for the Mavericks to get into their offense. With Irving drawing a double, Doncic attacked with an advantage to create a finish. He also got a defensive stop guarding Harden on an isolation possession, making him settle for a tough short-range jumper. He later connected with Jones for an alley-oop, creating a 22-point edge.

Late in the clock, Irving used his crafty handle to shift Tucker using a hesitation dribble before escaping to the corner for a tough 3-pointer. He faded and fell on the shot, landing in front of the Mavericks' bench—resulting in a team-wide celebration while the home crowd erupted. The game flow had reached a point of no return for the Clippers regarding making a serious rallying effort.

“I don’t even think I watched it go in fully once it left my hands," Irving said. "Just seeing my teammates reaction, that was the best part. We knew that was kind of like the dagger in the series.”

Irving achieved his 18th playoff game, scoring at least 30 points after his 28-point explosion in the second half. This ties his personal best for points in a playoff half. It was the fourth-highest total scored in a playoff half in franchise history, which includes Dirk Nowitzki's 33 points against Phoenix on June 1, 2006; Doncic's 29 points against the Clippers on June 6, 2021, and two other occasions by Nowitzki. This performance ranks as the second-highest point total by a Maverick in a playoff half over the past 17 years.

"I don’t think much needed to be said in general, just because it was a tie ballgame, we were playing pretty well, everybody touched the basketball pretty often," Irving said. "I didn’t get as many look as I’m probably used to getting, or I would have wanted, but I was just following the flow of the game and then, coming out of halftime, just being ready to use my conditioning to the best of my ability, beat them up and down the court, continue to play some tough defense, and get some easy ones for my teammates.”

The Mavericks continued to display the makings of a team that embraced a defensive mentality. Dallas limited the Clippers to 101 points, marking the fourth occasion in this series that they have kept Los Angeles below 105 points. The Mavericks won all four of these games. Despite coming from losing teams, Kidd credited Gafford and Washington with helping to change the team's culture by being instrumental in a turnaround in the organization's defensive makeup. Both players were the final pieces added over the last year to fulfill this goal, including drafting Lively and signing Jones and Dante Exum in prove-it contracts in free agency.

“They’re very important when you look at the culture of our team. Our defense changed when they got here," Kidd said. "They’re not going to complain. You don’t have to run a play for them. They want to do whatever it takes for the team to win. We’ve said this since they’ve gotten here, over and over."

"We’ve been so consistent that they’ve changed the culture and just understanding that our defense came when they arrived," Kidd explained. "We needed that in this series and we’re going to need that going forward. Those two are very important to what we’re trying to do.”

The Clippers finished the night shooting just 8-31 from the perimeter (25.8%), matching their worst 3-point percentage over their previous three postseasons. Dallas held Los Angeles to below 30.0% in 3-point shooting three times this series, winning each game where the Clippers shot worse than 30.0% from beyond the arc.

Taking care of the basketball is a consistently important factor for the Mavericks and they delivered in this game, committing only nine turnovers. It was the fourth time in this series they have had fewer than 10 turnovers in a game. Dallas improved to 18-6 when registering nine or fewer turnovers.

Doncic, powering through a right knee sprain and illness, was grateful the Mavericks closed out the series instead of traveling to Los Angeles for a Game 7. He will have three full days off to get treatment and prepare for the next opponent.

“It was big," Doncic said. "If we would have had to play a game seven and then we won and had to play again on Tuesday, it would have been tough. It is important to get rest.”

Looking ahead, the Mavericks will play Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Thunder on Tuesday at Paycom Center. Dallas will have Saturday off to recover before beginning preparation for the next series on Sunday.

“We just enjoy it. ... We’ll have tomorrow off, regroup on Sunday and then focus on Oklahoma City. But they should enjoy it," Kidd said. "To beat the Clippers is no easy task; it wasn’t a given, those guys earned it. To enjoy it. They have tomorrow off, and we’ll get back to work on Sunday.”