The Dallas Mavericks dominated the LA Clippers in Game 5, handing them their worst playoff loss in franchise history, and moving one win away from advancing to the second round. As Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving were struggling from beyond the arc, it was the Mavericks' defense that allowed them to build a lead that got to as many as 32 points.
Doncic and Irving combined to shoot 0/8 from three in the first half, and just 3/15 for the game, but Dallas remained in command while their two stars struggled from beyond the arc. While Doncic found other ways to score, the star guard pointed to his team's defense after the game, which he believes has been great for most of the series.
"I think we did a great job [defensively] in a lot of games," Doncic said. "There was, I think, two halves that we didn’t play good defensively, but everybody is on the same page on defense. We’re talking, we know what other players like to do. We just watch a lot of film, watch scouting and we just focus and I think that the communication we have on defense is the key, and energy."
The Clippers shot just 37.9% overall from the field in this game, which ultimately left them with no chance against this Dallas team.
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