Luka Dončić’s 39-point performance lifted the Dallas Mavericks to a 127-121 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 2. The victory puts Dallas up 2-0 in the first round of the NBA playoffs. So far in the first two games of this series, Dončić has been able to exploit the Clippers’ defense forcing switches, passing out of double teams and finding an open teammate, and hitting his signature step-back three.
My biggest issue with how Los Angeles is defending Dončić is when he calls for a pick to get a weaker defender, they switch every time. This tactic can work with some players but not Dončić who is one of the best isolation players in today’s league. When the Clippers switch on every pick that is set, you’re serving the Mavericks exactly what they want on a silver platter. If Paul George and Kawhi Leonard fought over screens and got into the body of Dončić, you wear him down and make it more difficult for him to carry the load.
A great example of this, is the way Dillon Brooks of the Memphis Grizzlies defended Stephen Curry in the NBA Play-In Tournament for the eighth seed. Brooks was picking up Curry full court, denying Curry the ball, getting around screens to stay on him, and got into his air space:
Curry still ended up with 39 points but he turned the ball over 7 times and shot 6-15 from behind the arc which is below the Curry standard.
With Dončić, he’s going to score 30 points but if the Clippers want to turn around this series, they have to make it an ugly 30 points. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are two of the best wing defenders in NBA have a long wingspan, active hands, and wide frame to make Dončić work each possession. I understand Dillon Brooks doesn’t have the same offensive responsibilities as George and Leonard, but they have each other to split the load.
Coach Tyronn Lue needs to adjust the way his team is guarding Dončić. The only benefit of switching everything is that there’s a lack of miscommunication between who’s guarding who. Other than that, switches create matchups that are beneficial to the opposing team.
I would like to see Coach Tyronn Lue light a fire within George and Leonard to own up to the challenge. Right now, I don’t see any urgency, any grit, or any ferocity from Los Angeles and I want to see that in Game 3. If no adjustments are made after the tip-off in Game 3…. the Mavericks will sweep the Clippers.