Mavs Can't Close Out Clippers, Fall 104-97 in Game 6

The Dallas Mavericks were unable to wrap up their Round 1 series with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night, falling 104-97 at the American Airlines Center.

Matt Galatzan | Jun 4, 2021

USA Today Sports

Heading into their Friday night matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers at the American Airlines Center, the Dallas Mavericks had an opportunity to win their first playoff series since 2011, when they went on to win the NBA title behind Dirk Nowitzki.

Unfortunately for Dallas, it wasn't to be, as superstar Kawhi Leonard powered his Clippers team past the Luka Doncic-led Mavs, with a 104-97 win forcing a Game 7 back in Los Angeles.

“We’re headed for Game 7,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “And it’s going to be a great opportunity for our team. We’ll be excited, and we’ll be ready.''

If Dallas is ready to win, it'll of course be largely on the shoulders of young Luka Doncic. Here, while it wasn't his best game shooting-wise, Doncic once again led the way for the Mavericks, scoring 29 points to go along with 11 assists, eight rebounds, and four steals, while hitting 11-of-24 from the field and 2-of-9 from three.

With his father in attendance, Tim Hardaway Jr. also showed up in a big way for Dallas, scoring 23 points of his own, while shooting 9-of-19 from the field.

Outside of Hardaway and Doncic, however, the offense was largely a struggle for Dallas, with Boban Marjanovic finishing as the team's second-leading scorer with 12 points, and Kristaps Porzingis ending the game with just seven points on 3-of-6 shooting.

Dorian Finney-Smith was the only other Maverick to finish in double figures, scoring 11 points, as the team shot just 42-percent from the field and 33-percent from three.

On the other end of the floor, Kawhi Leonard was nearly unstoppable for Los Angeles, scoring 45 points on 18-of-25 shooting, including 5-of-9 from three.

Said Doncic, “He had a hell of a game. ... He destroyed us.''

Reggie Jackson also had added 24 for Los Angeles, while Paul George scored 20 points.

With the loss, the Mavs will head back to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers at the Staples Center for Game 7 on Sunday afternoon at 2:30, with the series, and the season, on the line.

“This is what you live for, to get to these moments, to play in Game 7 in the playoffs on the road,” Hardaway said. “I’ve never done it before. It’s something big, something exciting, something you dream of.''

Published Jun 4, 2021

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and the Managing Editor of BuckeyesNow.com and TheGroveReport.com. He is also the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com