Dallas Mavericks Eliminate Los Angeles Clippers In Game 6

The Dallas Mavericks had all of the momentum in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. They had done the hard work, twice, winning road games in Los Angeles to take control of the series.

A dominant Game 5 performance led to the Mavericks heading home for Game 6 with a chance to clinch the series. They weren’t going to let this opportunity slip through their fingers as they got the job done, winning 114-101.

In the second half, it was Kyrie Irving who put the team on his back. He could not be stopped, knocking down shots from all over the court regardless of who was defending him. His crowning moment was an impressive dribble move around P.J. Tucker, who fouled him on the jump shot as it swished through the net.

“I was on the floor looking, kind of squinting and seeing if it went in,” Irving said after improving his record to 13-0 when his team can clinch a series during his career, the best record in closeout games in NBA history. “Just seeing my teammates’ reactions, that was the best part of it. We knew that was kind of like the dagger in the series.”

In the second half, Irving scored 28 out of his 30 points. The victory advances the Mavericks into the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, where they will face off against the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder.

Friday night’s victory was a special one for Luka Doncic as well. The third time is the charm for the superstar, who was eliminated by the Clippers in his first two postseason appearances in the NBA.

Battling through an illness and knee ailment, Doncic gutted it out for his teammates. While he wasn’t performing up to his standards all the time he didn’t need to. Irving is a capable leader and the supporting cast showed up when they needed to with timely baskets and momentum-shifting plays.

“I would say unbelievable,” Doncic said after scoring 28 points on 9-of-26 shooting while adding seven rebounds and 13 assists in the elimination game. “So it’s even more special, but just to have the guy like that on your team, it’s a pleasure. Just working with him, just playing with him, it’s a pleasure no matter what. He’s always positive energy, always. Not even one second of negative energy, which helps a lot, helps everybody, and we’re so happy to have him.”

For a game that was tied at halftime, Dallas really ran away with it in the second half, courtesy of Irving. They will now prepare for the next round, while what could be a tumultuous offseason gets underway for the Clippers.