The Mavericks got off to a quick start in Game 2, opening the first quarter with a 15-2 run. That certainly didn’t faze the Clippers, though, as they went on their own run to cut the lead to 29-25.

The Mavericks continued to showcase their offense in the second quarter, though, ballooning their lead to 17 again. In what looked like a carbon copy of the first quarter, the Clippers again roared back to cut the lead to 61-56.

Luka Doncic (22 PTS, 6 REB, 7 AST) paced the Mavericks in the first half, while Kawhi Leonard 18 PTS, 6 REB) and Lou Williams (14 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST) held it down for the Clippers. Paul George surprisingly went scoreless in the first half and only took two shots as he battled foul trouble.

The Mavericks got into a better groove in the third quarter, while the Clippers started to go a little cold in a chippy third quarter that saw Paul George get a technical foul. The Mavericks entered the fourth quarter with a 98-85 lead.

Doncic picked up his fifth foul 23 seconds into the fourth quarter and was forced to sit, putting his team in a precarious position even with a double-digit lead. His teammates picked up the slack for him, though, and actually pushed the lead to 18 with 9:29 left – the largest lead of the game.

Doncic finally came back into the game with 4:26 left in the game with the Mavericks still leading 118-106. Leonard forced Rick Carlisle to call a timeout less than a minute later after he cut the lead to 120-110 – putting the game well within reach for the Clippers.

The Clippers were never able to get within single digits, though, and never had a lead in the entire game. This was a well-deserved 127-114 victory for the Mavericks. According to the announcers, this was the first time that the Mavericks won a playoff game without Dirk Nowitzki since 1988.

Doncic (28 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST) was brilliant as usual. He only had a single turnover, a drastic improvement from the previous game.

However, the Mavericks won as a team. Starters Kristaps Porzingins (23 PTS, 7 REB) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (17 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST) had good games. They also got an excellent contribution, especially from the bench, Bojan Marjanovic, Seth Curry, and Trey Burke, who combined for 44 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists.

Carlisle will be happy with that performance, especially as they were able to hold onto the lead without Doncic for a significant stretch of the fourth quarter. If they’re going to stand any chance of winning another three games, they’ll have to continue playing well as a whole without relying so heavily on their superstar.

The Clippers will be disappointed with this game. Paul George (17 PTS on 4 of 17 shooting) never got in a groove offensively. Kawhi Leonard (35 PTS, 10 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL) put up a great game long with Lou Williams (23 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST) but it wasn’t enough.

Game 3 is going to be tense, and I think Paul George is going to have a chip on his shoulder.

Other games:

The Boston Celtics dominated the Philadelphia 76ers 128-101 to take a 2-0 series lead. They were led by young star Jayson Tatum (33 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST), Kemba Walker (22 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST) and Jaylen Brown (20 PTS, 5 REB). Joel Embiid (34 PTS, 10 REB, 3 AST) continued to do damage for the Sixers, but it’s become apparent that he can’t carry a team on his own.

Donovan Mitchell (30 PTS, 8 AST) would not be denied again after his 57-point heartbreaker against the Denver Nuggets the other day. He helped the Utah Jazz roar back to a 1-1 series tie thanks to a big 124-105 victory. Jordan Clarkson (26 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST) had a big game off the bench to help the Spida.

The shorthanded Brooklyn Nets blew a chance to time the game late, allowing the Toronto Raptors to take a 2-0 series lead in a contest that ended 104-99. Fred VanVleet (24 PTS, 5 REB, 10 AST) and Normal Powell (24 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST) led the defending champs in scoring.