Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Clippers Game 5: Western Conference Playoffs – First round
The Los Angeles Clippers will host the Dallas Mavericks at crypto.com Arena on Wednesday with the series being tied 2-2.
Can the Mavs bounce back?
It seemed like the Dallas Mavericks took control of the series with two consecutive wins, but they missed a great opportunity in Game 4. The game did not start well for them, as they found themselves down by 23 after the first quarter. They fought their way back and even took the lead in the final quarter, but could not hold on to it. Luka Doncic recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, but the feeling is that this was his worst game in the series as he shot only 1 of 9 from deep. Kyrie Irving was on top of his game, dropping 40 points.
The Clippers are back in the driving seat
The Los Angeles Clippers were blown away in Game 3 in Dallas, but regrouped just in time and tied the series at two games apiece with a 116-111 win in Game 4. They had a furious start, building a huge lead in the opening quarter, and despite allowing the Mavs to get back, the Clippers still closed out the game in their favor. James Harden and Paul George scored 33 points each. The Clippers made 18 three-pointers on an unbelievable 62.1% shooting.
Betting Trends
The Clippers are 8-4 ATS in the last 12 games against the Mavericks. Los Angeles is 2-5 ATS in the last 7 games overall, 1-5 ATS in the last 6 home games and 2-7 ATS in the last 9 games against teams from the Southwest Division. The Mavericks are 12-5 ATS in the last 17 games overall, 15-5 ATS in the last 20 games against teams from the Western Conference and 7-3 ATS in the last 10 games against teams from the Western Conference.
Prediction and Conclusion
We have seen literally everything in the first four games of the series. Both teams have been blown away, and both have come back even stronger after that. Dallas missed a golden opportunity to take control of the series and now will have to go to Los Angeles to try to regain the lead in the series. The Clippers proved they are for real this season with their performance in Game 4. However, the Mavs are 3.5-point favorites going into Game 5. We cannot expect the Clippers to shoot as well as they did in Game 4, but it is a fact that they have more players that can take over the game offensively than the Mavericks. In Dallas, everything depends on Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, and they still lost even though these two combined for 69 points in the last one. This will be another tight game, with both teams having their moments. However, this is a “make-or-break-it” season for the Clippers, and they will at least be close to winning this one, so we go with the Clippers +3.5.
