Los Angeles (USA), May 22 (EFE) .- Luka Doncic, who led the Dallas Mavericks to victory over the Los Angeles Clippers with a triple-double this Saturday, praised the collective effort of Texans to recover the home court factor in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
“It feels good to be able to win the first game, especially away from home. The whole team has played very well,” said the Slovenian at the press conference after the Mavericks’ triumph in Los Angeles (USA) against the Clippers (103-113).
Doncic was the compass of the Dallas team throughout the game and had 31 points (11 of 24 shooting), 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
At his side, very effective Tim Hardaway Jr. (21 points with 8 of 13 shooting) and Dorian Finney-Smith (18 points with 7 of 9 shooting) also shone.
Doncic said this victory is “very important” for the future of the tie, noting that if his team continues to compete like this he will have “a chance” to beat the Clippers.
This series between the Clippers and the Mavericks comes with many pending accounts from the past, since in the “bubble” of Orlando (USA) the Angelenos won 4-2 in Doncic’s first appearance in the NBA playoffs. .
In this sense, Doncic indicated that the Clippers “have not changed much” compared to last season and explained that they are a “very physical” rival.
“You have to stop Kawhi Leonard and Paul George,” he summed up.
Within the coral and meritorious performance of the Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis also stood out, achieving 14 points, 4 rebounds and one assist and who was key in the decisive stretch of the match.
“We knew they were going to be very physical with us and we have been prepared for that,” said the Latvian center.
“We have taught today that we are a more mature team and that it has a little more experience, and that is especially noticeable at the end of the game,” he said.
The second meeting of the series between Clippers and Mavericks will be played on Tuesday also in Los Angeles.
(c) EFE Agency