LOS ANGELES — Eleven times this season, the LA Clippers started a game in the afternoon. And each of those 11 times, the Clippers had a double-digit deficit at some point in the game. The Clippers came back to win six of those eleven games, including a 26-point turnaround against the Cleveland Cavaliers this month.
As Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Dallas Mavericks began at 12:30 p.m. PT, questions were raised about the Clippers’ performance at a time of day when they had not always did their best. Tyronn Lue acknowledged the team’s departures in the afternoon and stressed the need for them to be up and running.
“We can’t get into the game,” Lue said Sunday morning. “We have to have an attacking mentality on both ends of the pitch. So we don’t want to step in and try to intrude into the game. And I know the guys are talking about a ‘feel game’ – no. We will win the game. And so, we’re not trying to feel anything. We have to go.
That’s what was done Sunday afternoon as the Clippers led by 29 points in the first half of Game 1 and beat the Mavericks, 109-97, to take a 1-0 series lead. The Clippers never trailed while holding the Mavericks to 38.8 percent from the field and outscoring the Mavericks 22-8 in the second quarter.
“Especially at home, you want to take care of business at home,” said Clippers All-Star Paul George, who had a five-point first half to finish with 22 points. “As we are the team with home advantage, it is very important to start on the right note.”
A good start to the series was imperative because Kawhi Leonard did not play in the first game. Leonard was listed as questionable before Sunday’s game and, according to the team, is making progress daily to resolve the inflammation in his right knee that prevented the NBA’s doubleheader. Most Valuable Player since his last game on March 31. The team’s final four-game regular season winning streak, a stretch that included comeback victories over the Denver Nuggets and Cavaliers, prepared the Clippers to play without him.
“We prepared like he was obviously going to play,” said Mavericks MVP finalist Luka Dončić. “But this should not change our mentality. Their mentality was next man up, and they did very well. We just have to stay focused for 48 minutes. It’s the playoffs, so we have to stay focused for 48 minutes.
The obstacle the Clippers had to overcome, especially without Leonard, was their bad habit of leading by double digits in every matinee game this season. The problems often appeared defensively, marked by a lack of energy, before finding a way to play the type of defense in the second half of games that allowed comebacks.
But in Game 1, the Clippers found that defensive spark from the jump. While Dončić had 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting in the first quarter, he missed four of five 3s without managing to pass for an assist in the period, and the rest of the Mavericks missed 9 of 12 shots. Quartertime, Dončić was held scoreless on five shot attempts, while the Mavericks as a team missed 19 of 21 total shots over an eight-point span. Dallas was held without a field goal for the final 7:18 of the first half, missing 12 straight shots.
“In a playoff game, scoring eight points feels like forever, and that’s what it felt like there,” Irving said. “I think it started with the way we started the second quarter and got them to feel very comfortable in that first quarter and there was a carryover. I think we need to give them credit for making shots and doing the right thing. Capitalize on our turnovers and lack of physicality. So it’s a combination of a lot of those things that allowed us to make them feel comfortable on the offensive end and make things easier on the defensive end, just in terms of spacing.
In the end, Dallas got 33 points from Dončić (11 of 26 field goals), 31 points from Irving (20 in a perfect third quarter) and 33 points from everyone else on 10 of 36 shooting (27.8 percent). ). This mirrors the Clippers’ win on Nov. 25 during the Mavericks’ last visit to Los Angeles, when Dončić had 30, Irving had 26 and the rest of the Mavericks had 32 points on 11-of-42 shooting (26.2%). on a 107. -88 victory for the Clippers. The additions of power forward PJ Washington and center Daniel Gafford did little to change the equation.
“We had a chance to game plan,” Lue said after the Clippers held the Mavericks to 30 points in the first half on 22 percent shooting in the opener. “We had four or five days to really understand what they were doing and figure out what we wanted to take away and what we were willing to give up. So, I thought our guys were pretty good. We have to be better. We understand that. But for the most part, just looking at it, I thought our draft was really good. So before Game 2, we had to clean up a few things and go from there.
Offensively, the Clippers relied on other options to take advantage of the strong defense early in the afternoon. Center Ivica Zubac, who played off the court three years ago against Dončić and the Mavericks, held his own defensively and punished the Mavericks early and often via the post-up. Zubac had a double-double at halftime and finished with a career-high 20 points on 10-of-17 shooting, giving the Clippers offensive diversity without Leonard available.
“I know we are a great defensive team and I have to be one of the defensive leaders,” Zubac said. “It’s something I’ve been doing for this team for a while. And no matter who it is, I just have to focus on the game plan. They will shoot; Luka, Kyrie, they’re going to make some tough shots. But we have to make it harder for them.
Playing in afternoon games has also been an issue for James Harden this season, especially with those games often taking place on weekends. Harden shot just 37 percent from the field on Saturday and 35.3 percent from the field on Sunday this season. But without Leonard, Harden was ready on a Sunday afternoon, scoring 20 of his team’s 28 points in the first half.
“It’s going to be different matchups,” Harden said after being guarded by Washington in the first half and Derrick Jones Jr. to start the second half. “They tried Luka. I mean for me, my mindset doesn’t change.
The afternoon start time bugaboo was answered in the first game, but it will still be a factor in this series at least one more time. Dallas will host the Clippers next Sunday for Game 4 in a match scheduled for 3:30 p.m. local. And if the series is seven games, Game 7 will likely start on Sunday afternoon as well.
But the Clippers answered a regular season question with a stellar playoff performance, and they did it without Leonard. At the very least, the Clippers are now fully engaged in the playoffs.
“We did what we were supposed to do,” Harden said. “Game 2, the teams will make their adjustments. They’re going to figure out things that didn’t work, you know what I mean? And try to correct these things. So for us it’s just about finding out what worked, what didn’t work and things we can get better at and then we can control what we can control and not focus on anything else .
(Photo: Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)