National Basketball Association

Dončić leads Mavericks to commanding 2-0 series lead over Clippers

Updated May. 26, 2021 2:07 a.m. ET

Once Kawhi Leonard finally cooled off, the LA Clippers were cooked.

Leonard scored 30 points in the first half, but Dallas put together a strong third-quarter run on the way to a 127-121 victory on Tuesday night.

The contest was an offensive showcase, a run-and-gun affair without a whole lot of resistance on the defensive end by either team. But in the end, the 5-seed Mavericks had too many weapons for the 4-seed Clippers to handle.

As a result, the Mavericks take a commanding 2-0 lead over the Clippers as the best-of-seven series shifts to Dallas for Games 3 and 4.

Here is how the Mavs did it:

Key performer: Luka Dončić

Who else but the Mavs' 22-year-old Slovenian star? Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said during a mid-game TV interview that he wanted to play Dončić one-on-one in order to take the other Mavericks out of the game. But all that really did was limit his potential to rack up assists.

Instead, he simply dominated personally on the offensive end, scoring 39 points to go with seven rebounds and seven assists.

Dončić made 16 of 29 shots from the field, including five of his 13 3-point attempts. He even had an impressive dunk in the first half.

If there was an aspect of his game that deserved criticism, one might point to free-throw shooting, where Dončić was just 2-for-7.

Turning point: The third quarter

Leonard was unstoppable in the first half, consistently forcing his way into the paint for 30 points. That gave the Clippers a 73-71 halftime lead.

And while he would end up leading all scorers with 41 points, the Mavs surged once he cooled off. Dallas opened the third quarter on a 14-5 run to push out to the lead. The run included 3-pointers by Dončić and Kristaps Porzingis, plus a pair of 3s by Tim Hardaway Jr. Dončić also ran out to block a 3-point attempt by LA's Patrick Beverley in a momentum-shifting play during the run.

The momentum continued throughout the third quarter, which the Mavs won 30-19 to take a 101-92 lead entering the final frame.

And Dončić capped the quarter off with this ridiculous one-footed 3-pointer.

Wild card: Tim Hardaway Jr.

Dallas' Maxi Kleber made a big impact early on with 12 first-quarter points. Porzingis also was a solid presence with 20 points.

But Hardaway was the biggest difference-maker for the Mavs not named Dončić, scoring 28 points and making six of his eight 3-point attempts. He saved his best for last, too, as his 3-pointer with 1:03 left slowed a Clippers' rally attempt and gave the Mavs a 123-116 cushion.

In the series' two games, Hardaway has shot 11-for-17 from 3-point range and scored 49 points.

Twitter’s take:

Did you know?

This is Dallas' first 2-0 lead in a playoff series since the 2011 Western Conference Semifinals when they swept the defending champion Lakers 4-0. They had not taken a 2-0 lead in any of the seven playoff series that they have played since then.

What’s next?

The series heads to Dallas for Games 3 and 4 as the Mavs look to take a dominant hold on this series/finish off the Clippers.

Game 3 will tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET Friday.

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