Patrick Beverley once made Luka Doncic look like a novice for the first 2 minutes of his playoff career. It’s all been downhill for him since then.
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The Dallas Mavericks outscored Clippers Nation in every single quarter separately as they ran out 113-103 winners today. Luka Doncic added a triple-double to what promises to be a long and illustrious compilation of playoff moments.
His 31 points and 10 assists fueled a Mavs offense that benefited from its role players turning up. Tim Hardaway Jr and Dorian Finney-Smith combined to make 9 3-pointers alongside a hot Luka.
The Clippers, meanwhile, struggled to get going from range. Their 3 best wing scorers in Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Marcus Morris went a combined 3-of-20 from range. They also failed to get looks for Reggie Jackson, who was pretty reliable during the regular season.
Luka Doncic (31 PTS, 10 REB, 11 AST tonight) is the first player in NBA history with 3 triple-doubles in his first 7 #NBAPlayoffs games. pic.twitter.com/fsVwHZPD9A
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) May 23, 2021
Luka Doncic trash talks Patrick Beverley after getting the and-1
Doncic has displayed all the traits of an all-time great, especially with the trash talk and taking criticism personally. The Slovenian takes pleasure in making his opponents look silly.
There’s a history between him and the Clippers, so it was obvious that there’d be an edge to this contest. And Luka made sure that his primary defender Patrick Beverley felt it all game long.
Luka overpowered the 6’1″ guard to get an and-one with a layup at the start of the first quarter. He then proceeded to say “Too F**** SMALL” audibly to the crowd at Staples.
“Too fucking small.”
And-one de @luka7doncic sobre Beverley. pic.twitter.com/M4xyEaSGAx
— y – Mavericks Latam (@DallasMavsLATAM) May 23, 2021
Beverley was soon taken off the floor as the Clippers went in search of other defensive options to cover Luka. None of them were ultimately too successful on a night when the Mavs youngster created history yet again.