Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks Look to Rebound in Game 2 After Tough Loss to Clippers

The Dallas Mavericks plan to bounce back against the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 2 after a challenging series opener.

Apr 21, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann (14) and Dallas / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES — After a challenging series opener on Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks are set to adjust their strategy in Game 2 of their best-of-seven series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The series opener was tough for Dallas, which lost to the Clippers with a final score of 109-97. The Mavericks trailed 34-22 after the first quarter and by as many as 29 at one point, often facing a double-figure deficit.

Apr 21, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann (14) and Dallas / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Clippers shot an impressive 50% from three-point range, making 18-36 attempts, which helped them maintain a substantial lead. Dallas set a playoff franchise-low by scoring only eight points in the second quarter, missing all nine three-point attempts and making just 2-21 shots overall. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd acknowledged the need for a stronger start, especially on the road.

“I think we all can talk about the second quarter, but getting off to a better start on the road is something that we’ve talked about,” Kidd said. “But we were better in that third quarter coming out after halftime, and that’s just something that we talked about is understanding what was good after halftime and what we have to do better on the road to put ourselves in a position to win.”

The Mavericks shot only 38.8% from the field and 30.3% from three in Game 1. They outscored the Clippers 67-53 in the second half and are looking to carry that resilience into the beginning of Game 2 to even the series before returning to the American Airlines Center.

“We got some great looks,” Kidd said. “Again, we missed some layups. We’ve got to be able to take care of the ball. And then I thought we got to the free throw line.”

Dallas also focuses on avoiding any quarter as low-scoring as their second quarter in Game 1. Dereck Lively II praised the team's resolve during their poor shooting streak, stating, "We stuck to what we know, and if we keep shooting, the shots will eventually fall."

For Game 2, the Mavericks aim to contain Ivica Zubac, who scored a playoff-high 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the opener. Controlling Zubac’s influence on the game will be crucial, Lively noted.

“He’s going to try to play bully-ball with us,” Lively said. “We got to be able to box him out and take him off the glass. We got to be able to make sure that whenever he’s coming in on those tough shots, we got to be able to affect him and make him uncomfortable.

"We know what he can do, we’ve seen what he can do," Lively explained. "Now we just got to be able to adjust and be sure we do a better job in the second game.”

Moreover, the Mavericks need more production from players other than stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who scored 64 points combined in Game 1. The rest of the team must increase their output to balance the offensive effort after scoring only 33 points as a supporting cast. With a heightened focus on defensive execution, Dallas achieved improved results after halftime.

“Going into the second half, I think we really challenged them.," Irving said. "I know we outscored them in the second half. We got stops. Some tendencies we saw from guys on their team, and they were really going opposite and really challenging us to guard those different looks."

Doncic emphasized the need for him to be more aggressive in attacking downhill as opposed to settling for as many difficult jump shots. The Clippers made it difficult to get into the paint with various strategies, including deploying drop coverage with Zubac, having an aggressive on-ball defender fight through screens, doubling the post, and switching Zoom actions while being ready to help.

"I just gotta stay aggressive. That was my bad in the first half," Doncic said. "It wasn't aggressive enough, so I just got to stay aggressive and find the open man."

With Kawhi Leonard questionable for Game 2 due to knee inflammation, the Mavericks see an opportunity to capitalize. Nevertheless, their focus remains on enhancing their own game.

“We weren’t making anything, but we stuck to what we knew who we are," Lively said. "We made shots, and we know if we keep putting them up they’re going to fall. And we tried to fight back and bring it back. We didn’t try to quit, we didn’t just lay down. No matter how much we were down we were going to be back.”

As the series progresses, the Mavericks are eager to show they can overcome initial setbacks, echoing their resilience from previous playoff experiences.