Can the LA Clippers take a commanding 3-1 lead in Game 4?
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00:00 After dropping Game 2 of their first round series to the Dallas Mavericks, the LA Clippers finally
00:05 played with some real urgency in Friday night's 130-122 Game 3 victory. LA nearly led wire to
00:11 wire and took an 18-point lead early in the fourth quarter that put the game on ice. It was by far the
00:16 best this team has looked in the postseason so far. The Clippers set several records in Game 3 as
00:21 well, including the franchise record for points scored in a quarter with 45 in the second quarter.
00:26 Now heading into Game 4, the Clippers have an opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the
00:31 series, and there's a good chance they do it too, so long as they match the effort and urgency they
00:35 put on display in Game 3. Looking at the injury report, both teams in this game have game-time
00:40 decisions to make this afternoon, and they won't be easy ones. For LA, Patrick Brebele is again
00:45 listed as doubtful heading into Game 4, so it's increasingly likely he doesn't play another game
00:49 in this series as well. He's missed two consecutive contests with the cap string after spending 20
00:54 minutes in the court in the series opener, though this injury does date back to when the playoffs
00:58 began. The Scrappy Guard missed five straight games going into the postseason with this same
01:02 issue. It doesn't look like he's made any real progress either. Unfortunately, time may be the
01:07 only remedy here. If Brebele is indeed out, look for Landry Schamett to see more time on the court
01:12 in Game 4, especially after his career showing in Game 3. For Dallas, the stakes are quite a bit
01:17 higher as Luka Doncic is considered questionable to play, which is something we'll get into a bit
01:21 later. The key storylines in this game for LA is Paul George's shooting slump has continued. He was
01:27 terrific at the Eclipse receding games, and that continued into the first game of this playoff
01:30 series as George netted 27 points on 10-point-2 shooting in Game 1, including a game-clinching
01:37 three-pointer late in the fourth quarter. However, since then, George has scored just 25 points in
01:43 the two games that have followed, and he was even worse in the second game of that stretch.
01:47 George started to get anything going in Game 3, finishing with 11 points on 3 of 16 shooting
01:52 from the field and 1 of 80-point range. He excelled in other areas, collecting 9 rebounds,
01:57 7 assists, and 2 steals, but overall it was an extremely rough outing for George. That said,
02:02 the Clippers don't appear to be concerned much about George's struggles. Coach Doc
02:06 Grubers was especially supportive of George after Game 3, saying, "I'm not worried about it. He's a
02:12 great player. He's human. I can guarantee you this. He has not forgotten how to shoot. It will
02:16 fall for him." LA made up for George's scoring behind big games from Shaman, who had 18, Marcus
02:22 Morris, who had 14, and Nbtszoubats, who had 11, but those players always been able to supply those
02:27 points consistently. The Clippers may be able to survive this series without George playing his
02:32 best basketball, but they'll need a shot to start falling before too long. For Dallas, the storyline
02:37 here is Luka Doncic's health, the NBA playoffs, obviously a marathon, and on top of talent,
02:41 consistency, and luck, a team must maintain health to remain competitive, and unfortunately for Dallas,
02:47 Luka Doncic may wind up missing Sunday's pivotal Game 4 contest. The Mavericks star suffered a
02:53 nasty-looking ankle sprain in Game 3 that forced him to head back to the locker room. He returned
02:58 to the court for a brief period in the fourth quarter before subbing himself out for good.
03:01 ESPN's Tim McMahon is supportive that Doncic's injury is a mild sprain, but there's concern over
03:08 his status given the quick turnaround time between Game 3 and Game 4, as Game 3 was a 9 o'clock tip-off
03:14 time Eastern and Game 4 is a 3.30, so less than 48 hours between those two games. Doncic has been
03:20 Dallas's best player in the series by a significant margin. The 21-year-old phenom is averaging 27.7
03:26 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists, and 32 minutes per game this series, and broke an NBA
03:31 record scoring 42 points in Game 1, which is the most ever by a player in his playoff debut. The
03:37 Mavericks have had some success this season in games that Doncic has missed, but obviously they're
03:42 a much better team with him on the floor if he misses X-Bet Dallas to struggle. Therefore,
03:46 our prediction for this game, you know, in Game 3 the Clippers played with a particular sense of
03:50 urgency we haven't seen the team until that point. Now they have a chance to take a two-game lead in
03:55 this series. I would expect them to come out with the same energy and try to put Dallas away early
03:59 in Game 4. It might be a competitive first half of basketball, but this feels like a statement
04:03 game for LA, and for that we've got Clippers 124, Mavericks 103. The Clippers and Dallas Mavericks
04:10 take the floor today at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and the game will air on ABC.