No observation round since the Mavs continue their momentum from Game 5. They start the match with an 18-8. Ten points from Paul George (18 points on 6/18 shooting, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) revive the Clippers but ten offensive rebounds from the Texans, a record in a quarter since 2007, allow them to take the lead (34- 26).
Luka Doncic's teammates hit the nail on the head and took a 13-point lead (46-33)! With their backs against the wall, the Clippers are reversing the trend. With James Harden (16 points on 5/16 shots, 13 assists) at the helm and an aggressive Norman Powell, they passed a 19-6 in Dallas to return to equality at halftime (52-52).
The end of an era at the Clippers
Discreet until now, Kyrie Irving starts the third quarter on fire. Alongside Luka Doncic, Irving launched a 20-6 which gave their team a 14-point lead (72-56). The Clippers try to react but their 1/8 3-pointers in the period condemns them. Like Kyrie Irving's 3/3 from afar and a Doncic who dissects the Los Angeles defense with his vision of the game, the Mavs move to +22 on an alley-oop from the Slovenian for Derrick Jones Jr. ( 100-78)!
The American Airlines Center is in heaven, Jason Kidd's men eliminate the Clippers for the first time in the Doncic era and join the Thunder in the conference semi-finals. For the Clippers, it is the end of an era since they will play in Inglewood at the start of the school year.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Ty Lue tried everything, in vain. The Clippers coach pulled on his frames to try to get a Game 7 but there was nothing to do. Lue had even started PJ Tucker to bring more toughness, but he was abandoned by his stars. James Harden (5/16 on shots) and Paul George (6/18 on shots) once again came through against the Dallas defense. They missed 14 of their 16 3-point shots! Russell Westbrook only played 9 minutes and Kawhi Leonard was on the bench in civilian clothes. The Clippers therefore exit through the back door after two performances unworthy of their standing.
– Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving carry the blow. The two Mavs stars once again dominated the debates this night. If the Slovenian was not skillful (1/10 at 3-points), he still scored 28 points and above all distributed 13 assists to put Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, and Derek Lively II into orbit. Kyrie Irving only scored 2 points at the break before taking things in hand after returning from the locker room. The leader scored 28 points in the second half on 10/13 shots, including 5/7 from 3-point range, to send the Clippers on vacation.
– Direction Oklahoma City for the Mavs. After the final buzzer, the Mavs could barely celebrate their qualification as they already had the lead over the Thunder. Jason Kidd's men will have until Tuesday to prepare to face Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and others. The Mavs have lost 3 of their 4 meetings against the Thunder this season. They will travel to Oklahoma City on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday for Game 1.
