Kyrie Irving and Russell WestbrookAdam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
Luka Dončić has lost both of his playoff series to the Los Angeles Clippers, but it’s hard to fault him for that.
In 13 postseason appearances against L.A., the Dallas Mavericks’ MVP candidate has averaged 33.5 points, 9.5 assists, 8.8 rebounds and 3.6 threes per game while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from deep. Those numbers are bonkers in any context, but the fact that they’ve come in the playoffs and against a team with plenty of perimeter defense makes them even more impressive.
As hard as it is to imagine anyone being more productive than that, Dončić’s playoff numbers are the basis of our bold prediction:
Luka Raises Those Numbers In This Series
Throughout his career, Dončić has had a knack for finding another gear in the playoffs. If that happens again, he’ll be improving on what was undoubtedly his best regular season.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Mavericks will win the series. L.A. has overcome Herculean performances from Luka before. But those Dallas teams didn’t have Kyrie Irving.
Now that he’s fully adapted to life alongside Dončić, Kyrie is going to average more than 25 points per game in this series, score 40 in at least one game and help the Mavericks finally overcome the Clippers.
On the other side, Paul George is going to have his fourth straight postseason with a sub-34 three-point percentage, and James Harden is going to score in single digits in at least one game.
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