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The Los Angles Clippers entered Monday as one of the favorites to win the 2020 NBA Finals and were pushed to the edge by the seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. Luka Doncic and the Mavericks overcame a large deficit in the first quarter, but fell to the Clippers 118-110. Los Angeles’ duo of stars proved to be too much for Dallas.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both came to play in this one. Leonard amassed 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists to total 59.5 DKFP. Paul scored 27 points and finished with 38.5 DKFP. The return of Montrezl Harrell didn’t stop Ivica Zubac’s hot streak. The big man scored 10 points and snagged 10 rebounds in 22 minutes for 29.5 DKFP. The biggest surprise of the night for Los Angeles was Marcus Morris though. The former New York Knick dropped 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting to tally 37 DKFP and give the Clippers some much-needed offensive assistance.
Dallas went down by 16 early while Doncic racked up five turnovers and got subbed out. The 21-year-old bounced back to lead his team to a 38-34 lead by the end of the first frame. Doncic went on to post a strong stat line with 42 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists for a game-high 65.75 DKFP. His 11 turnovers hurt his fantasy upside though.
Kristaps Porzingis was ejected in the third quarter after being accessed his second technical foul of the game for an altercation with Marcus Morris. He tallied 14 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes.
Doncic broke the NBA record for most points ever in a playoff debut, but he’ll need some help to steal a few games from one of the best teams in the league. This game proved that there’s tons of fantasy basketball potential in this series.