Luka Doncic dropped a triple-double, and Kyrie Irving put 40 points to his name. The Dallas Mavericks even powered through a 31-point lead held by the LA Clippers in the first half. Yet, they lost the contest 111-116 at American Airlines Center. Los Angeles played without their injury-addled superstar, Kawhi Leonard. But, it was perhaps the franchise’s decision to use veteran power that paid off handsomely; with James Harden and Paul George erupting for 33 points each.

And just like that, the series is now tied at 2-2 and the Clippers will face the Mavs on their turf for Game 5. Notably, the Dallas talisman was listed as questionable before Game 4 due to knee soreness. But come game time, the Slovenian suited up, only to play through the pain. Following the defeat, though, Doncic had rather concerning things to say.

According to Grant Afseth, Doncic said that he didn’t view the knee soreness as an excuse for tonight’s “sloppy” play. But he also admitted, “It’s hurting, obviously, but that shouldn’t be an excuse. Just came out a little sloppy, so we got to do way better than that.” 

Doncic had 29 points and 10 rebounds and assists each for the night. It might be a triple-double, but it wasn’t particularly effective as the Clippers held him to 10-of-24 from the field and 1-of-9 from the three-point line in 45 minutes of game time. Not wanting to lose in front of their home crowd, the Mavs were hard at work.

By the fourth, Dallas had reduced the 31-point gap to four. That’s when the years of experience came into play for the veteran superstars of the Clippers.

Experience on show as LA veterans take the court against Luka Doncic and the Mavs

“I just felt comfortable,” PG said after the game. “Regardless of how the arena’s going, the crowd, the pressure, it’s kind of just feeling comfortable in those situations.” And comfortable he was! George‘s 26 of his total 33 points came in the first half. But the 9x All-Star truly shone during those breath-stopping moments of the matchup.

Irving decided to take point in this game, and he made life very difficult for LA. It was at one such moment that George’s shot-making was on full display. Dallas had just taken a 105-104 lead courtesy of a Kyrie drive around three defenders. But PG13, somehow, knocked down a three from the far right over Derrick Jones Jr. for the Clippers to take a 107-105 lead. The clock read 1:55.

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George finished the night going 11-of-19 from the field and 7-of-10 from downtown. He also had six rebounds, eight assists, four steals, and one block in 43 minutes of game time. James Harden, for his part, showcased why he was good at what he does. Also, this was arguably his best outing since his arrival at the Clippers.

‘The Beard’ knocked all his threes, except one, tonight (4-of-5). He also made 12 out of the 17 field goals along with six rebounds and seven assists. Not to mention, the final five minutes were a feast for the eyes as four of the best NBA talents went head-to-head to clinch the victory. Or, as Harden puts it, “elite, skilled, Hall of Fame basketball players going at it.” 

Had the Mavericks pulled off the win, they would have tied the playoff record for the biggest comeback. The last it happened was during the 2019 playoffs when the Clippers came up from a 31-point deficit in Game 2 against the Warriors. Hopefully, Luka Doncic will get better for Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena.