Luka Doncic is playing despite a sprained right knee. Such an injury would have sidelined him from games if this were the regular season.
As if that were not enough, he suffers from a respiratory infection. He had to blow his nose practically every pause during the match.
But none of that stopped him. The Clippers couldn’t do it either. And now, the Mavericks are about to advance to the next stage of the playoffs.
Doncic scored 35 points, including 20 in the second half, as Dallas routed Los Angeles 123-93 on Wednesday, taking a 3-2 lead in the first-round series.
The Slovenian star also contributed 10 assists and seven rebounds to the Mavs’ victory in this fifth game of the series.
“I thought this was a very big game,” Doncic said. “We won, and now we have to take one of two games. We’ll go back to Dallas and play the same way.”
Game 6 is scheduled for Friday in Dallas. If necessary, the seventh would take place on Sunday in Los Angeles.
Maxi Kleber hit five 3-pointers, while Kyrie Irving contributed 14 points for the Mavs, who nullified the Clippers’ attack and earned another victory in Los Angeles during this series.
Dallas moved within one win of what would be its first winning playoff series since 2022. It would be just its third series win since winning the NBA title in 2011.
Doncic plays despite the injury that has limited him at times in the series. However, he looked more comfortable and dangerous as the fifth game progressed.
He scored 14 points in the third quarter, as the Mavs stretched their lead to 25 points. Eventually, Dallas took an 89-69 lead in the fourth quarter, in which the Clippers never threatened a comeback similar to the 31-point one achieved by Dallas in Game 4.
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