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Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to a 96-93 win in the second game of the playoff series against the LA Clippers. Doncic scored 32 points and added nine assists. However, it was his defense that spearheaded the Mavs win. Doncic gave an all-out effort on the defensive end as the Mavs held the Clippers to 36.8 percent shooting, their lowest of the season.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Doncic held Clippers opponents to 2-of-17 shooting when he was the primary defender. He was primarily assigned to James Harden and held the Hall of Famer to 1-of-5 shooting and just three points. Amir Coffey was the only other player to score on Doncic.
The advanced defensive stats from Doncic got NBA fans buzzing. Some even guessed that Doncic could be named Defensive Player of the Year next season after being named a finalist for MVP this season.
“Luka really stealing DPOY from Wemby next year, that's crazy,” a fan wrote.
“It was 0-15.The one with Coffey, should’ve been credited to Kleber, and the one from Harden was a switch that DJJ missed. We did that switch all night. These aren’t reliable, as they often just credit the closest player to the person scoring,” a fan wrote.
Other fans were impressed by Doncic’s effort. They want to see more of the defense, even if it means fewer shots for the MVP candidate.
“I’ll take the slight knock on the offense efficiency to see what we saw tonight. Not expecting it to go that well every night but I hope that type of effort is always there,” a fan wrote.
Some fans dished out some sarcasm and wanted to call out those who say their favorite point guard does not play any defense.
“Tim this can’t be right. I was told Luka doesn’t play defense! #LockdownLuka,” a fan wrote.
Other fans criticized the Clippers for their poor performance. They suggested the Clippers should stop hunting Luka Doncic on offense as part of their game plan.
“Clippers way too focused on getting the mix match against Luka instead of actually scoring on him,” a fan wrote.
Some fans were not so impressed. They did not give Luka Doncic any credit for the supposed lockdown defense.
“This is just shooting luck he doesn’t alter shots,” a fan wrote.
Luka Doncic leads Mavericks to win in Game 2
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks in a gritty defensive slugfest to even the series with the LA Clippers. He dropped 32 points on 11-of-26 shooting, including the dagger 3-pointer to ice the game.
He added his usual playmaking skills with nine assists and worked with Kyrie Irving well in the pick-and-roll in crunch time to clinch the win.
Irving added 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting, including tough floaters, to pace the Mavs.
The Mavs got help from their rotation players this time around. Two other Mavs starters, Derrick Jones Jr. and P.J. Washington, scored in double figures to aid Doncic in the winning effort.
