When the Playoff finals are at stake, nothing is unfair or out of the question. This is a statement that the Los Angeles Clippers took quite seriously when playing their third game of the series against the Dallas Mavericks. After their 130-122 win on Friday, the Clippers declared their ruthless strategy to disable the Mavericks team altogether.

This strategy undertaken by the Clippers could cost the Mavericks a win at the series. The seventh-seeded Mavericks have come a long way and certainly do not want it to end like this.

What were the Clippers focusing on?

From the very beginning of the game, Kawhi Leonard and his team were extremely aggressive on the court and set the tone of the game. It was in the last four minutes of the third quarter that it happened. Luke Doncic was defending Leonard when his left ankle got twisted and he fell on the court. His attempt to get back up was unsuccessful.

When he finally got himself to stand, he moved directly to the locker room area. The sight of the Mavericks star player limping on his way out was a hard one to watch. You could potentially see the team’s confidence breaking from there because their entire offense surrounds Luka. Heroically, he even tried to return in the fourth quarter but could only hold in for a few minutes.

With Luka out, the Clippers were finally at a bigger advantage and the Mavericks dropped game 3. Clippers’ center Ivica Zubac confessed, “That was a big emphasis to get more physical to get them out of their game.” Not only did this hamper the Mavericks’ third game but it could also hurt them throughout their series.

Luka finished with only 13 points under his belt and only a probability of being a part of the remaining series.

Will Luka Doncic recover in time?

ESPN’s Tim MacMohan posted, “Luka Doncic: It’s not that bad. Honestly, I had luck that it was my left ankle. It’s not my right”. The situation could have been far more severe if it was his right ankle, the one he has sprained twice this season. He also updated that an MRI will be done which will establish his playing status for Game 4.

Luka’s absence could prove to be very beneficial for the Clippers. With the Mavericks key player out of the way, the Clippers’ journey to the seventh game could be very smooth. Looks like their strategy worked exactly the way they expected.