Mavs top Clippers to advance in NBA playoffs, Magic stay alive against Cavs

AFP | Los Angeles    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 114-101 to advance to the second round of the NBA Playoffs on Friday as Orlando forced a decisive game seven against Cleveland despite 50 points from Cavs star Donovan Mitchell.

The Magic dominated late on their home floor in Orlando to overcome a heroic performance from Mitchell, beating the Cavaliers 103-96 to knot their best-of-seven Eastern Conference firstround series at three games apiece.

In Dallas, Luka Doncic scored 28 points and Kyrie Irving scored 30 -- 28 in the second half -- as the Mavericks locked up a 4-2 Western Conference victory over the Clippers, who were again without injured star Kawhi Leonard.

Doncic added seven rebounds and 13 assists to gain a measure of revenge against a Clippers team that ousted his Mavs in the first round in 2020 and 2021. Dallas next face the Oklahoma City Thunder, the surprise Western top seeds who swept New Orleans 4-0.

The series will offer a tantalizing matchup between Slovenian star Doncic and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, both Most Valuable Player award finalists along with Nikola Jokic -- whose reigning champion Denver Nuggets face Minnesota in the second round.

“We stayed together,” Doncic said of a Mavs team that led by 13 in the second quarter only for the Clippers to tie it up by halftime at 52-52. Irving’s driving layup in the first minute of the third quarter put Dallas ahead for good.

It was just the beginning of Irving’s dazzling second half display that also featured an off-balance three-pointer as he was fouled, with Irving converting the free-throw to push the Mavs’ lead to 24 points.