The LA Clippers have a chance to close out their first-round series with the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon.
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00:00Last saw LA Clippers they hung a franchise record 154 points on the
00:04Dallas Mavericks in Game 5. About as dominant as we'd seen them look all year
00:09long, hitting a stride at the perfect time. That was last Tuesday. In the time
00:14between we've seen NBA players make unprecedented decisions by refusing to
00:18participate in games in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake and
00:22holding several meetings to discuss the future of the NBA season. All the while
00:26personalities on networks like NBA TV and TNT were starting to have necessary
00:30conversations about ongoing social issues in this country. Sam Mitchell
00:34spoke about how we only seem to come together as Americans in wartime. Chris
00:38Weber teared up while discussing the protests. Kenny Smith walked off the NBA
00:42on TNT set in solidarity with Milwaukee Bucks. Those conversations were a start
00:47and ones that might have taken place had the league's players decided not to take
00:50action. Now they're heading back into the thick of LA's first round series. It's
00:55vital that we don't lose sight of that. Looking at today's injury report, looking
00:59solely at the basketball side of things, it looks like this break has been a lot
01:02of good for the Clippers as Patrick Beverley could suit up this afternoon
01:06for the first time since the series opener. Beverley has missed the last four
01:10games of the cap screen in this series and each time has had the doubtful tag
01:14attached to one team's injury report, but on Saturday afternoon his status is up
01:17here to be questionable, a sign that he may play in Game 6.
01:20Now Landry Shaman has been the main beneficiary of Beverley's absence so far
01:25as his only starting nod in each of the last three games. He's seen success there
01:29as well, averaging over 12 points per game while shooting over 50% or better
01:34from the floor and three-point range. That said, Beverley is one of the most
01:38important players in the team and his presence is certainly missed, especially
01:42on the defensive end of the floor. If he is able to hit the floor this afternoon,
01:45expect LA to look like a more cohesive group from the get-go, but the team
01:49always plays its best basketball at Beverley out there. The Dallas Mavericks, on
01:53the other hand, have drawn the short end of the stick as Kristaps Porzingis has been
01:56ruled out for the remainder of the series with a torn meniscus. It's a tough
02:00blow for Dallas as Porzingis has been playing some of his best basketball this
02:03season in Orlando, earning all-bubble second-team honors with Donchurch
02:07earning first-team and Kawhi Leonard earning second-team as well. Dallas has also
02:11listed Trey Burke, Luka Donchurch, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Tim Hardaway Jr. as
02:15questionable for today's game with various injuries, though none of those
02:18seem to be too serious. Looking at the storylines for today's game for LA, we
02:23wanted to see if they can maintain that urgency. In game five, the Clippers
02:26looked like they were the better team than the Mavericks. For the first time
02:29all series, really, they came out of the gate playing aggressive, energetic
02:33basketball and didn't lit up for the entirety of the contest. As the lead grew
02:37as each quarter went on, the team's 43-point victory was the largest in a
02:42playoff game in franchise history. Now the Clippers are showing what they're capable of.
02:46It's crucial they maintain that intensity and urgency in this series as
02:51this series and the postseason continue. LA may have dominated game five and
02:55proved which team is best in this series, but Dallas is still very much in
02:59position to take this thing to game seven and potentially win it as well. For
03:03Dallas, the key storyline is Luka and the Mavericks kind of already surpassing
03:07expectations to be had for them. If Dallas is gonna win this series or at
03:10least game six, it's going to be because of Luka. The 21-year-old has already shown
03:15an ability to take over games in this series as he gave us an unforgettable
03:19triple-double performance in game five that was capped off by a game-winning
03:23three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime. That's a crazy statement to make for
03:26someone that's that age. He's arguably the best player in this series and that's
03:31something we need to continue to be if the Mavericks are going to extend this
03:33series, especially with Porzingis sidelined right now. That said, nobody
03:37should discredit Doncic if his team isn't able to get it done. This Clippers
03:41group is historically great and has one of the league's greatest postseason
03:45performers in Kyle Weylander on the roster. Many people, including myself,
03:49thought this series would be over in five games. Now, Doncic and the Mavericks
03:53have already exceeded expectations and they'll continue to be a problem for years to
03:56come. Prediction for today's game, you know,
03:59Dallas is an excellent team and Doncic is an even more excellent player, but
04:03after playing one of the best games in the history of the franchise last
04:06Tuesday, it's hard to see the Clippers letting game six go Dallas' way. This
04:10group finally seems motivated and they're showing that edge we've been waiting to
04:13see all season long and with as many strong-willed players as LA has in this
04:17roster, a loss today would be pretty stunning. So for that, we have the
04:21Clippers winning this one 130 to 113. You can watch today's game at 3 30 p.m.
04:27Eastern Time. It will air on ESPN and Fox Sports Prime 2.