By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Dallas Mavericks tried to shock the Clippers in Game 7, but they were not ready. The LA Clippers got the 126-111 win, Kawhi Leonard decided the outcome in the second half with a total of 28 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and four steals and Luka Doncic once again didn’t have enough help.
The Slovenian boy-wonder finished the game with 46 points, 14 assists, and seven rebounds. However, after a stellar first half in which had had 29 points and seven assists, he couldn’t keep up doing everything alone.
French forward Nicolas Batum added 11 points, five assists, and seven rebounds, while for the losing side Serb big man Boban Marjanovic had a double-double (14 p. 10 r.). Latvian Kristaps Porzingis also had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavs but missed all of his five three-point attempts.
Despite Doncic’s performance, the Clippers had a 70-62 lead at halftime and built a 15-point advantage by the end of the third (100-85). The Mavs trimmed the lead to seven points (114-107) with two minutes left, still, that was the best they could do until the final buzzer.
The Clippers will face the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals with the Jazz having the home-court advantage.