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The Dallas Mavericks are preparing for another round of playoff games against the Los Angeles Clippers. Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of the roster are eager to finally get even with the franchise that has been a thorn in their quest for another NBA championship in the past five years.

While the upcoming series between the two franchises is going to be spicy, eyes will especially be fixed on how Luka and Kyrie will gel with one full year of basketball under their belt. Some fans want the results of the partnership to

One intriguing statistic shows that the Mavs are in a better spot when compared to their performance last season.

Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving top the list of leading non-FT scorers in the NBA

StatMuse, one of the most respected resources for NBA basketball, shared a post on their social media accounts on which players led the NBA in scoring when not counting the contributions made by free throws.

The list puts the shine on Doncic and Irving as they were among the top scorers in the league when the charity stripe wasn’t part of the conversation.

Doncic, who is pushed to win the regular-season MVP for his offensive prowess alone, has been playing well for the Mavericks this season. He averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 1.4 steals in the regular season. Irving has been a reliable second option with his 25.6 points, 5.0 boards, 5.2 dimes, and 1.3 steals a game.

Will the Dallas Mavericks finally triumph over the Los Angeles Clippers?

While the distinction is a great thing for the Mavs, it doesn’t completely dispel the truth that they still have to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in another first-round series.

The two teams met in the 2020 and 2021 playoffs, and Luka did everything he could to push the Mavericks past Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and the rest of the Clippers roster.

The history books don’t bring good news to Mavs fans. The first series, which played in the bubble, ended in six games with the Clippers convincingly winning the last two games. The 2021 playoffs was a lot closer as Doncic secured the first two games. However, Kawhi and his team forced a Game 7 and ran away with the series.

The Clippers are supremely confident of their chances against the Mavs, with Tyronn Lue firing a warning shot to Jason Kidd’s Mavs. However, Doncic finally has a reliable co-star by his side.

This series will be a fascinating watch for NBA fans, and it’s completely fine to expect high-tier basketball from this series.

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