Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports The Mavericks missed a golden opportunity, but they have a chance to make a statement The Dallas Mavericks lost Game 4 116-111 in absurd fashion, where they completely erased a 31-point deficit and then gave up their late one-point lead after the Clippers outscored them 12-6 over the final 1:55 of game time. It was a heartbreaking defeat, as a win would have put Dallas up 3-1 in their first round series, where teams have gone on to win 268 of 281 times. The opening to the game felt very similar to game one’s start, with Dallas’ offense being completely nonexistent and the Clippers making shots that were defended almost perfectly. Completing the comeback would have been magical, but instead, the series is tied going into a best-of-three where Dallas needs to win a road game. With the Mavericks record now 0-2 when Kawhi Leonard does not play, it could seem like the Mavericks are in jeopardy of losing grasp on a real chance to make a deep playoff run. Realistically, however, coach Jason Kidd should be telling his team that they are just fine. In their two wins, the Clippers have now shot a combined 36-for-65 from three (55 percent). During the regular season, they shot 38 percent as a team, so there is a significant amount of regression due there. Not only is the volume and efficiency high for their three-point shooting, but the difficulty level is off the charts. Look no further than Paul George’s effective game-winner on Sunday: PAUL GEORGE.pic.twitter.com/jqOchrg4Ue— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 28, 2024 A side-step three fading out of bounds with a contest right in his face is exactly the shot you want him taking. George was 7-fof-10 on threes in Game 4, and it seemed like every one he made was over a solid closeout. This incredible shot making is not sustainable, and the Clippers will go cold to even it out. Outside of the three-point discrepancy in Dallas’ two losses, they have controlled almost every other aspect of the game. They are winning the turnover battle by six. They have outrebounded Los Angeles by seven. They have even shot 27 (!) more free throws than the Clippers in four games. The Mavericks have beaten themselves by having two historically bad offensive quarters. In 12 of the 16 quarters the Mavericks have played, they have scored at least 22 points. They scored 18 in the first quarter of Game 3 and 20 in the third quarter of Game 2, which were games they won. In the second quarter of Game 1 they scored eight points and in the first quarter of game four they scored 16, and if those had been the 22 that they have gotten 75 percent of the time, they would have just swept the Clippers. latest podcast episode in the player embedded below, and to make sure you don’t miss a single one moving forward, subscribe to the Pod Maverick podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Pocketcasts, YouTube, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox.
https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/ ... =generator
You can check out our After Dark Recap podcasts, YouTube Live recordings, and guest shows on the Pod Maverick Podcast feed. Please subscribe, rate, and review.
Source: https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2024/4/28 ... ame-4-loss