“Rajon Rondo gave Kawhi Leonard the death stare”: Clippers’ veteran point guard was visibly upset with The Claw as he air-balled clutch 3 pointer vs Mavs in Game 5

Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard gets angered reaction from veteran PG Rajon Rondo as he air-balls a game-tying three in Game 5

Looks like the Los Angeles Clippers’ idea of tanking the last two games of the regular season has clearly backfired. As they play Luka Doncic and his Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, it’s safe to say that things haven’t gone according to the plan. The young Mavericks team has looked to be strong, deadly, and more determined to get their revenge for their last playoffs’ first-round exit.

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Clearly, behind the Slovenian superstar’s unreal performances, the Mavericks have been in the driver’s seat in this series. After losing two home games and getting the series tied 2-2, both the teams battled it out at LA. Game 5 was as action-packed as it was anticipated to be.

Dallas grabbed the Game 5 win, defeating Kawhi Leonard and co. 105-100 after four quarters of intense and high-energy basketball. Doncic had yet another crazy 42-point, 14-assists, and 8-rebounds near triple-double performance to lead his team for the win.

Kawhi Leonard air-balled a game-tying three-point shot opportunity with 6 seconds remaining

The ending for the Dallas-Los Angeles was rather wild. As the Clippers trailed 103-100 with a little less than 9 seconds left on the clock, Rajon Rondo inbound the ball to The Claw. Despite Kawhi being heavily guarded by Dorian Finney-Smith, he took an awkward jumper. Very unexpected from Kawhi, he air-balled the game-tying three-point shot.

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While walking towards their bench, veteran Rondo was visibly upset at the former Finals MVP. Leonard could’ve very easily utilized some more time on the clock to get the best shot available. Seeing Leonard make such an irrational and hurried decision, is something none of us expected. The man is known for making tough contested shots during the crunch time of a game, especially when the stage is as big as the playoffs.

With the Mavericks having a 3-2 lead, the remaining two games will be do-or-die matches for LAC. Doncic is only one game away from upsetting Paul George and co. The Clippers should learn from their mistakes, hope to learn from them, and come out much stronger in Game 6.

The series heads back to Dallas, where Game 6 would be played on Friday.