Luka Doncic has never been known for his defense. The basketball prodigy has dazzled the world with his offensive display, but on Tuesday night during Game 2, he was able to show a completely different side of his game.
Game 2 between the LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks was an absolute rock fight, one where both teams had difficulty scoring the ball. Fortunately for the Mavericks, they just had a bit better shooting in the fourth quarter to escape with a 3-point win. However, one of the biggest stories coming out of the game though was Luka Doncic’s defense.
According to two https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/1783009486363558049, the Clippers were 2/17 from the field when Luka Doncic was the primary defender in Game 2. The only people to score were James Harden and Amir Coffey. Granted, some of this requires more context on how the Clippers’ offense actually looked during horrid iso-ball moments or if the shot was wide-open, but it’s still very impressive for Doncic.
After the game, Doncic was asked about his defense and openly admitted to accepting the challenge of guarding the Clippers’ best players.
“I accept it,” Doncic said about the Clippers targeting him defensively. “It gets me going on the defensive end too. That’s fine. I think I played good defense today. I’ve just got to stay locked in.”
It seemed very clear on Tuesday night that the Clippers weren’t ready for Doncic’s energy. The adjustments they make in Game 3 will be incredibly pivotal in how they tackle the challenge moving forward.
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