NBA Playoffs: Dallas Mavericks vs LA Clippers Game 6 Preview, Odds, Prediction

The playoff series between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers is interesting because both sides are winning only on the road. To be straight, without you, we can’t remember a single playoff matchup in which teams posted all their wins away from home. The majority of the analysts were more than sure that the Clippers would solve this one easy after coming back from a 0-2 deficit. But then Luka Doncic happened. And once the superstar youngster reaches his full speed, there aren’t players nor teams in this world that can stop him.

Preview

LA Clippers (-135) come in as favorites, even though they haven’t been that persuasive in Game 5. Lue’s boys did come back in the fourth period, making this a tight contest and erasing a 16-point deficit, but once again, they failed to show up in clutch moments.

 It is maybe the biggest weakness of the Clippers, who aren’t capable of having that burst in the moments when the game is on the line. Even though they have Kawhi and PG, something is missing here, and as time goes by, we doubt more and more in this assembly. 

George had 23 points with 10 boards and six assists, Leonard scored 20 points, but hitting just one three in seven tries, while Reggie Jackson had 6, scoring 20 buckets as well. The Clippers’ bench posted only 11 points, which is also one of the biggest reasons for Wednesday’s loss.

Dallas Mavericks (+120) saw Luka smashing the Clips with 42 points and 14 assists with eight boards. He scored 6 threes and wasn’t very productive when looking at the shooting percentage, 17-for-37. Still, the refs didn’t protect Doncic at all, awarding him just three free throws. 

Rick Carlisle surprised Lue with Boban Marjanovic in the lineup. The giant from Serbian scored 9 points and had seven boards in 20 minutes, and his appearance was something nobody expected. Tim Hardaway Jr. played well. Luka’s first sidekick ended the evening with 20 buckets. 

We need to say that Mavs and the Clips had almost the same statistics in Game 5. All the numbers were pretty similar, but the difference was that Mavs scored baskets in the moments when it mattered the most. Furthermore, it wasn’t Luka but other players. The Slovenian didn’t deliver a single point in the last five and a half minutes. 

Head to Head Games

As said, these teams only posted wins on the road in this series. The same was during the regular season. In three games, only one saw the home team’s victory – the one in Dallas.

Prediction

Our hunch tells us that the Mavs are going to win. Why? Well, we feel that the chemistry in the Clippers’ locker room is pretty weak. They don’t look like a championship contender, and as time goes by, their game is getting exposed for various negativities. Mavs, even though being inconsistent, seem healthier than the Clips. Whether is that because of Luka or maybe a better coach (because Carlisle is better than Lue, no debate about it), we don’t know. Also, Dallas has no pressure, and that is a big factor here as we saw that LAC often cracks in these situations. 

Pick: Dallas Wins +120