National Basketball Association
Dallas 127, L.A. Clippers 121
When: 10:30 PM ET, Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #21 Dedric Taylor, #55 Bill Kennedy, #74 Curtis Blair
Attendance: 6885

For a second game in a row, the Los Angeles Clippers had no answer for Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.

The 22-year-old guard blew past Los Angeles defenders for 39 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, leading the visiting Mavericks to a 127-121 victory over the Clippers on Tuesday and a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Doncic's second straight 30-plus-point game leaves the Mavericks in a commanding position as the best-of-seven series heads back to Dallas for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.

Doncic didn't do it all by himself. He got help from Tim Hardaway Jr. (28 points), Kristaps Porzingis (20 points) and Maxi Kleber (13 points).

Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 41 points. Paul George contributed 28 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Reggie Jackson added 15 points.

The Mavericks shot 18 of 34 (52.9 percent) from the 3-point arc. Hardaway led the charge, making 6 of 8 from long distance.

Kleber totaled 12 points and Hardaway added 10 points in the opening quarter as Dallas grabbed a 35-33 lead. The Mavericks have not lost a game all season when they led after the first quarter.

Leonard paced the Clippers with 18 points in the first 12 minutes.

The Clippers outscored Dallas 40-36 in the second quarter to take a two-point lead into the locker room at halftime. However, Dallas outscored Los Angeles 30-19 in the third to grab a nine-point lead.

Trailing by as many as 14 points early in the fourth quarter, the Clippers cut the deficit to 114-109 on a 3-pointer by Marcus Morris Sr. with just under five minutes left.

However, two possessions later, Morris fouled out with nine points.

Terance Mann cut the margin to four points on a lay-in with 1:24 to go, but Hardaway drained a 3-pointer from the wing to put the game out of reach.

Former Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki sat courtside for Tuesday's game.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Dallas   L.A. Clippers
Luka Doncic 39 Scoring Kawhi Leonard 41
Luka Doncic 7 Assists Rajon Rondo 7
Luka Doncic 7 Rebounds Paul George 12
Tim Hardaway Jr. 4 Free Throws Made Kawhi Leonard 9
Kristaps Porzingis 3 Steals Reggie Jackson 2
Kristaps Porzingis 2 Blocks Patrick Beverley 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Dallas 127 58.5 18-34 13-24 25 34 4 8 11
L.A. Clippers 121 53.6 13-33 18-20 23 39 3 7 14
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Clippers will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Clippers have a W/L % of .617 after a win and .720 after a loss.
  • Dallas will play their next game at home against L.A. Clippers. The Mavericks have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .600 after a loss.