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The Dallas Mavericks let the Clippers stay alive with a 104-97 loss in Game 6. Luka and company were just unable to put the Clippers away thanks to an otherworldly performance from Kawhi Leonard. Here are the numbers you need to know.
45: The number of points Kawhi Leonard scored
Kawhi was simply fantastic, going 18-of-25 on his way to a dominating performance. He was the best player on the court, making all his shots in the fourth quarter to drag the Clippers to the finish line.
32.4%: The Mavericks three point percentage
The Mavericks were 11-of-34 from three including 2-of-9 from Luka Doncic. That won’t get it done. In the Mavericks wins they have made shots. They will need to do so again in Game 7.
14: The number of free throws the Mavericks shot
The Mavericks should have shot more free throws if the game was called correctly. That being said, the Mavericks also failed to force the issue on multiple occasions. They need to get to the free throw line more often for easier points.
7: Combined numbers of steals from Doncic, Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis was incredibly active in the zone and did a great job of disrupting the Clippers offense. Luka was both active and lucky for his steals. The more defensive plays they make the better. Porzingis simply isn’t going to go off offensively in this series, but it’s important he contribute in other ways and he did tonight.
0: The number of points Maxi Kleber scored
Kleber clearly isn’t right but he is actively hurting the team at the point. The Mavericks were minus-13 in his 21 minutes tonight and I believe any minutes he gets in Game 7 are a mistake. He turned down multiple open looks and is providing nothing defensively.
Bonus stat: 1 the number of games left in this series.
Game 7! Enough said.
Here’s the postgame podcast, Mavs Moneyball After Dark. If you can’t see the embed below “More from Mavs Moneyball”, click here. And if you haven’t yet, subscribe by searching “Mavs Moneyball podcast” into your favorite podcast app.