Clippers get Kawhi Leonard back, but Mavericks even series with Game 2 win

24/04/2024 07:21

LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard played 35 minutes in his first game in three weeks and it turned out, the Clippers needed every rusty second. And it still wasn't enough.

The Clippers made a push in the final two minutes but couldn't overcome a poor shooting night and lost to the Dallas Mavericks, 96-93, in Game 2, as the visitors evened the best-of-seven series at 1-1.

The series now moves to Dallas for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.

Trailing 90-81, the Clippers closed the gap to within 92-88 with a 7-2 run, capped by two free throws by Paul George with 27.1 seconds remaining.  After Dereck Jones Jr. made one of two free throws, Leonard drove to the basket for a layup that cut the margin to 93-90 with 20 seconds left.

Kyrie Irving was called for a foul, which the Mavs challenged and got it overturned. Irving made three of four free throws to close out the game before George sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Leonard's progress from inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee was, at times, a cat-and-mouse ordeal. Was he healthy? Would he play? Can he run? Questions that were met with evasive answers.

As the days turned into weeks, the conversation went from he's not ready to he could play with three days practice to he is out for Game 1. He hadn't played or had any contact practices since March 31, but his status finally became clear when he took the court during warm-ups on Tuesday, giving the Clippers the perennial All-Star they had missed for the past nine games.

Although Leonard was off his game, scoring 15 points – well below his regular-season average of 23.7 points – he grabbed seven rebounds, came up with four steals and had two assists.

Leonard shot 7 for 17 from the field (0 for 5 from 3-point range), but he wasn't the only Clippers player off their mark. George and James Harden each had 22 points, but the team shot a season-worst 36.8% from the field and 26.7% from 3-point range (8 for 30).

Iviva Zubac added 13 points and 12 rebounds, but Russell Westbrook had just seven points, Norman Powell scored six and Terance Mann added five.

Meanwhile, Dallas made 14 of its 33 3-point attempts (42.4%) and shot 42.1% from the field. Luka Doncic scored a game-high 32 points to go with six rebounds and nine assists. Irving added 23 points and six rebounds for the Mavericks, who led for most of the game two days after they trailed by 29 points and eventually lost, 109-97. P.J. Washington Jr. added 18 points.

The game was sloppy with a combined 42 fouls and 23 turnovers between the teams and neither team shot well. Still, the Mavericks maintained an advantage for most of the night as the Clippers fought to regain their poise from Game 1.

They finally found that composure and their shot in the fourth quarter, taking their biggest lead of the game at 73-67 on a 3-pointer by Norman Powell and a layup by Ivica Zubac with 9:32 left.

Then their offense went stagnant and the Mavs used a 14-0 run to open an 81-73 lead. Washington hit a 3-pointer in front of the Clippers' bench, and Doncic and Irving followed with 3-pointers of their own, prompting a "Let's go, Mavericks" chant to break out.

Washington connected on another 3-pointer with 4:40 left to match the Mavericks' biggest lead, one the Clippers couldn't overcome – Leonard or no Leonard.

The Mavericks started with more physicality, but the Clippers quickly matched their intensity to keep the game within reach in the first half and trailed 45-41. Dallas had led by as many as eight twice in the first half.

From the start, the Clippers struggled offensively. They shot 34.1% from the field and just 2 for 13 from behind the arc in the first 24 minutes. It was evident that Leonard was off his game, failing to connect on four of his first six shots.

Fouls were more a problem for the Clippers than shooting.

More to come on this story.