Dallas Mavericks: 3 things that propelled Mavs to go up 2-0 over Clippers

Thing that propelled Dallas Mavericks to go up 2-0 over Clippers: 1. Luka Doncic

The Mavs won the first two games because of Luka Doncic. The 22-year-old superstar has been unbelievable in both contests. He produced a 31-point triple-double in the opener that included trusting his teammates and making the right play at every turn. Doncic followed that with a 39-point masterpiece in Game 2.

Not only has he been exploiting mismatches and shooting the ball well, but Luka has also stepped up his defense. He has two steals and three blocks so far in this series. Coach Rick Carlisle has used him some on Kawhi Leonard, and his defensive intensity ratcheted up in the second half of Game 2 when the Mavericks needed some stops to secure the win.

Luka going repeatedly to the one-legged fadeaway in Game 2 was a thing of beauty. See his most ridiculous make below.

Luka Doncic is locked in and has lifted the Dallas Mavericks into the lead. It will be interesting to see if the LA Clippers try to turn up the defense on the 22-year-old going forward. They have no player that can stop Luka one-on-one, so it is going to take something special for LA to even slow him down.

The series is far from over as it shifts to Dallas on Friday night. The Mavericks can go up 3-0 on with a win on May 28 at the American Airlines Center. There will be plenty of fireworks, so please tune in and enjoy the first NBA playoff game in Dallas since 2016.