No Kawhi Leonard, no problem.
The Los Angeles Clippers ruled out the five-time All-NBA forward before Sunday's tip-off, and were dismantled with a 109-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. I proceeded.
With Leonard out, James Harden took the reins with a nostalgic performance reminiscent of his MVP days. The 34-year-old point guard led a dominant Clippers offense, making his first four 3-pointers en route to scoring 28 points.
Clippers shut down Mavericks' offense in the first half
But it was Los Angeles' defense that made the biggest impact. The Clippers held the Mavericks to 30 points in the first half and held them to 22.5 percent shooting from the field. The first-half scoring total was the Mavericks' lowest since 2019 and the lowest ever in a playoff game.
Dallas finished the first half with 12 straight missed field goals and scored just eight points in the second quarter. Harden and Ivica Zubac combined for 32 points in the first half, single-handedly leading the Mavericks. Again, the Clippers accomplished this without Leonard, a seven-time All-Defensive team selection.
Dallas' offense finally found its rhythm after halftime. He scored nine points in the first three minutes of the third quarter, more than he scored in the entire second quarter. However, the 56-30 deficit at halftime proved too much to overcome. The Mavericks never posed a challenge and entered Game 2 with serious concerns about the rest of the series.
Vintage James Harden paces the Clippers from the beginning
Harden, who played alongside a trio of All-NBA players in Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook, averaged his lowest regular-season scoring (16.6 points) since coming off the bench for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2011-12. ) was recorded. The three-time leading scorer showed Sunday that he's more than capable of lighting up the scoreboard.
Harden scored 11 points early in the first quarter, making his third of three 3-point attempts to extend the Clippers' lead to 34-22.
A 1-1 step down in traffic led to an individual score of 9-0 in the second quarter, extending Los Angeles' lead to 50-28 with 4:49 before halftime. The Mavericks scored just two points on free throws the rest of the first half.
Harden then put the Clippers up 30-9 with a backdoor alley-oop pass to Westbrook, extending the lead to 54-29 and showcasing the playmaking vision that made him the two-time assist champion.
Harden finished the first half with 20 points and four assists, including making 4 of 6 3-pointers. He had 28 points, 8 assists, and 2 blocks in this game. Zubac had 12 points and 10 rebounds at halftime and had 20 points and 15 rebounds. He made 10 of 17 field goals.
After scoring five points in the first half, George took over the scoring baton in the second half, recording 22 points, six rebounds, three assists, and one steal. The Clippers made 18 of 36 shots from beyond the 3-point line while holding a 24-point advantage from long range. Dallas shot 10-of-33 from 3-point range (30.3%) and shot 38.8% from the field.
Too little, too late from the Mavericks star.
Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic did their best offensively to get Dallas back in the game in the third quarter. They scored 29 of the Mavericks' 34 points in the quarter, surpassing Dallas' first-half total.
However, the Mavericks were unable to make a comeback, holding an 87-64 lead heading into the fourth quarter, with the Clippers scoring 31 points in the quarter. Dallas cut the 29-point deficit to 10 points late in the fourth quarter, but never posed a serious challenge.
Doncic finished with 33 points on 11-of-26 shooting, 13 rebounds and six assists. Irving finished with 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists. P.J. Washington was the only other Mavericks player to score in double figures, with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Leonard watched the whole thing from the sideline, missing nine consecutive games due to knee inflammation. He was doubtful until Sunday morning when head coach Tyronn Lue announced before the game that he would not play. Leonard's future status is unknown. But Sunday's dominant effort eases the pressure to bring him back if the injury-prone All-Star isn't ready for Game 2 on Tuesday.
