About last night... Loss to Clippers

 The Mavericks took on the Clippers last night, in what is probably a first round preview. It was going very well for the Mavs until it came time to close out the game. Of course. KP and Luka were doin their thing. DFS is back! He looked tough and was active all night long, going for 12-8-3 in his 37 minutes. He shot 5-9 and knocked down a couple threes. Exactly what the Mavs needed to see from him after his last game. 

The Mavs ended up losing 126-111 despite Luka and KP scoring 29 and 30 points respectively. Although the final score shows a 15 point loss, it was far closer than the score indicates.

Boban started, scored, and promptly left the game. I thought this was part of Carlisle's master plan to eliminate Zubac as a threat, but no such luck. Zubac carved the Mavercks up, scoring 21 points and gathering 15 boards without missing a shot from the field, it was annoying to say the least. The Clippers lead Dallas by 12 points in the third until KP and the Mavs  soared back to tie the game at 101 into the 4th. The Clippers and Luka traded blows towards the end, but in the end the Mavericks couldn't keep up as the Clippers shot 62% in that fourth quarter. It was an exciting game, and Luka is 100% and KP looks a million times better than he did when the season started against the Wizards. Those are the positives the negatives... well...

Defense

The Mavs displayed again that they can't clamp up when they need to.  They allow too many unnecessary points, which ultimately bites them in the ass. Playing with a team like this one, the goal is to at least slow the stars down a little, and if you can't, make sure that nobody else gets anything easy. The clippers are tough in this respect, they've got the deepest team in the league. Two stars, and a scoring machine in Lou Will. For the most part, they kept PG in check allowing him to score only 24 points. Leonard was stifled by Maxi most of the night, forced to hit tough shots. He ended the game with 29 points, but Maxi is definitely the preferred match up to stick on Kawhi come playoff time. 

Luka & KP

It really hurts to lose on nights like this. Seems to keep happening in the bubble. It has been made crystal clear over these past 4 games that the Mavs need to upgrade the talent surrounding these two superstars. Luka's 3 pointer has returned! lets hope it's here to stay. But... his free throws were gone last night, only shooting 3-6. KP is a stud. The only gripe I have is the lack of touches to end the game. He was the reason the mavs tied the game, but didnt get the ball after that to finish the game out. There needs to be an emphasis on getting these two and only these two involved to close games. The ball needs to be in one of their hands, Option 1 and 2. I also think that KP needs to get the ball in better spots. Too often he has to make plays for himself or pass out of a position just because of the spacing on the floor. 

The game had alot of positives in it, and in an isolated viewpoint, there was little to be upset about. But since this is the 3rd loss for the team who had a chance to win it in the 4th, it's hard to stay positive. Hardaway Jr.  has completely cooled down, Delon Wright is losing minutes every game, and Seth is still out with a leg injury. On the bright side, Luka and KP will get playoff experience and anything can happen in a 7 game series especially with two young stars who are capable of combining for 70 points a night. We have Luka and Porzingis to build around for years, the best is yet to come.