Dallas’ reply to Los Angeles’ attempt to take away one at American Airlines Center on Friday night was captured by Daniel Gafford. Not in this place. Not this evening. In the fourth quarter of the Mavericks’ 101-90 victory over the Clippers in Game 3, Gafford showed the courage to tackle Paul George cold at the rim despite having decided to play at game time due to lower back stiffness. The scene showed Dallas’ commitment to defending home court in front of a 20,402 capacity record fans. Additionally, it conveyed to LA the challenges it is facing a 2-1 deficit before Sunday’s Game 4 matchup in Dallas.

Guard Luka Doncic scored the fewest points of the playoffs in a heated game that saw PJ Washington and Russell Westbrook ejected. That didn’t matter because Kyrie Irving’s second-half performance during this “lob city” night in Dallas was so strong.

These are my five main conclusions after Game 3:

1. Mavs’ Defensive Stand

In Game 3, the Mavs took it over. Dallas had the backboard swaying all night as they smashed the mic-up rims. In the first half, the Mavs sunk five successful alley-oops for dunks; if Derrick Jones Jr. hadn’t missed, it could have been six.

Rookie Dereck Lively II scored four baskets off of two assists from Doncic, two Irving assists, and two Dante Exum assists. At 6:49 in the first quarter, Gafford started the lob party after Irving assisted him. The Mavs scored eight lob dunks overall.

Dallas’ big men caused havoc all night long. The Mavericks outscored LA by 18 points in the paint in the first half thanks to the combined 32 points scored by Lively, Gafford, Jones, and Washington. Dallas beat the Clippers 52–38 during the contest in the paint.

Jason Kidd, the coach of Dallas, observed, “Our bigs were big.” “I believe that we weren’t even there in Game 1. However, I felt that we were present in the second part of Game 1. It’s been Mavs basketball since that second half.

2. KAI in the second half

This series has a clear trend where Doncic attacks the Clippers in the first half and then lets Irving have his moment in the second half. In Game 3, Irving followed the same pattern, scoring two points on 1-for-5 shooting in the first half as Doncic erupted for a game-high 14 points leading into halftime. Irving scored Nineteen of his Twenty-one points in the second half, including 11th on Four-for-Eight shooting in the last quarter.

Irving has averaged 20 points in the second half of this series’ first three games while shooting twenty-one for Thirty-five from the field and 9th for 15th from three-point range. He has also racked up eight rebounds, five assists, and six steals. Irving’s sluggish starts shouldn’t again cause the Clippers to fall asleep.

Kidd explained, “It’s just his calming effect.” He never rushes anything. He won’t ever lose his cool. He believes that everything is in order. The men have faith in him while he’s on the ground. That is evident in the second part.

3. Doncic is powerful even in small doses

This series, Game- three was the first time Doncic finished with less than thirty points or more. However, the 25-year-old recorded a game-high Twenty-two points, ten rebounds, and nine assists to record his second double-double of the postseason.

Kidd stated, “Luka has to accept what they’re giving”. They interact physically with Luka. Nevertheless, Doncic was the driving force behind Dallas’ 36–18 second-quarter victory over LA. The Mavs gained a Fourteen-point advantage at the break thanks to that. In the quarter, the five-time All-Star finished with 12th points, five rebounds, and five assists.

In addition, Doncic recorded two thefts, showcasing his underappreciated defensive skills. Tyronn Lue of the Clippers stated, “He’s going to take the challenge.” You’re a whole different team when your best player accepts that challenge. His defense skills are not well known. However, stepping up, accepting the challenge, and wanting to play guys one-on-one means a lot. He’s keeping an excellent eye on our players.

Even though Doncic was only 2 for 13 from the floor in the second half, Dallas scored 16 points by taking advantage of 10 Clippers mistakes during that time. Out of 19 LA turnovers, the Mavs scored 29 points in total.

4.  Harden’s Playoff Milestone

After Game 3, Harden declined to talk with the media, although he passed Magic Johnson to become No. 16 in all-time playoff points (3,708). With 9:08 left in the second quarter, the 2018 Kia MVP equaled Johnson with a 24-foot stepback over Josh Green, giving LA a 32-25 lead.

The issue was that Harden scored again in the third quarter with just 35.5 seconds left. After making two free throws, the point guard eventually overtook Johnson in all-time postseason scoring. Playing a game-high 44 minutes, Harden scored 7 points in the second half on only 4 shots.

5. Leonard’s Recovery Impact

After a lackluster (by his standards) effort in Game 2, you just knew a Leonard comeback was imminent. In that game, the 32-year-old showed encouraging indications on both ends, even as he worked off some rust from missing action since March 31 due to knee soreness.

The two-time Finals MVP is still not quite himself, as Game 3 only made clear. In his meager 25 minutes of action, Leonard scored 9 points on 4 of 7 shots, grabbed 9 rebounds, and committed 4 turnovers. While the forward is still healing from his injury, Lue said the team is being cautious with him.

Leonard only had ten minutes of action in the first half. Lue remarked, “He’s trying to find his way back.” “We’re merely getting by.” He has irritation in his knees. Thus, [we’re] simply being considerate, ensuring we’re taking good care of Kawhi, and monitoring his emotions. He’s still attempting to establish a rhythm. We must make sure we assist him in doing it.

The veteran finished with 15th points, seven boards, and four steals in thirty-five minutes in Game Two. Leonard was marked as questionable by the Clippers for Game 3. For Game 4, he most likely will receive the same designation. Leonard remarked, “I’ll see tomorrow the way it is now.” However, I’d like to play.