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Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Clippers: Western Conference Playoffs – First round
For the third time in the last five years, the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers will face each other in the playoffs. The series start on Sunday at crypto.com Arena in LA.
How far can Luka Doncic lead the Mavs?
The Dallas Mavericks finished fifth in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record. They won 7 of the last 10 games to close out the regular season and are coming off a 135-86 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Mavs are seventh in the league scoring 117.9 points per game and third making 14.6 three-pointers per game. Luka Doncic is the NBA’s leading scorer this season averaging 33.9 points per game and he also adds 9.8 assisst and 9.2 rebounds.
Is this the season for the Clippers?
The Los Angeles Clippers finished the regular season in fourth place in the Western Conference with a 51-31 record. They lost the last three games on the schedule and are coming off a 116-105 loss to the Houston Rockets. The Clippers are sixth in the league, shooting 48.9% from the field and 38.1% from three-point territory. Kawhi Leonard leads the team with 23.7 points per game, followed by Paul Geroge with 22.6.
Betting Trends
The Clippers have won 4 of the last 6 games against the Mavericks. Los Angeles is 2-4 SU in the last six games played on Sunday. Dallas is 16-4 SU in the last 20 games overall and 9-2 SU in the last 11 games played against teams from the Western Conference.
Prediction and Conclusion
For the third time in the last five seasons, these two teams will face each other in the playoffs. There is definitely a rivalry here, and Luka Doncic is not alone this time. With the addition of Kyire Irving, the Mavs look like a serious contender coming back to the playoffs. The Clippers are star-packed, with four All-Stars on their roster. Kawhi Leonard will be the key man in this series, as he is the go-to guy on the Clippers offense and will probably be the one to try to slow down Luka. Despite the fact that this game will take place in LA and the Clippers are the higher seed, the Mavs are a -2.5-point favorite. The Clippers are at least at the same level as them and will prove that by covering the spread tonight, if not winning.
