Mavericks hope to clinch series with a Game 6 win Friday
Los Angeles, CA, Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) and guard Luka Doncic (77) congratulate each other late in the fourth quarter as they seal a win over the Clippers in game five of the NBA Western Conference playoffs
DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks will try to close out their first-round playoff series Friday night in front of a home crowd.
The Mavs beat the Clippers in a blowout in Game 5 Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
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Luka Doncic played through a knee injury and an illness.
He was not listed on the team’s injury report Thursday, so it’s pretty likely he’ll be available Friday night.
Dallas needs to take care of business to avoid a do-or-die situation in LA for Game 7.
Luka Doncic scores 35 points, leads Mavericks to 123-93 victory and 3-2 series lead over Clippers
Luka Doncic scored 20 of his 35 points in the second half and added 10 assists and seven rebounds, propelling the Dallas Mavericks to a 123-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 and a 3-2 lead in the first-round series.
"We want to take advantage of the home court, obviously. We don't want to come back here and deal with the crowd here," Mavs forward Maxi Kleber said after Game 5. "I think the good thing is I think we saw what happens when we don't come out with the right mindset because they're too talented. They will knock down big-time shots. We've just got to lock in."
Game 6 tips off at 8:30 p.m. at the American Airlines Center.
The winner of this series will face the Oklahoma Thunder in the second round of the playoffs.