3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' concerning loss to Clippers in Game 1

4. Dud - Daniel Gafford

Heading into tonight's game, Daniel Gafford is someone who had a lot to prove. He was returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2021 and he has been elite ever since Jason Kidd made him the starting center.

The LA Clippers also don't run much small ball, so this series was lining up for Gafford to be a key piece of Game 1. Gafford ended up being the absolute opposite, and he struggled for most of the game.

Gafford finished with three points, no rebounds, and one block in this game, and having zero rebounds as the starting center in a playoff game is unacceptable. Gafford was dominated by Ivica Zubac on both ends of the floor in this game, and the most concerning part of this game was his defense down low.

Zubac was scoring whenever he wanted in the paint, and he was unstoppable when he had his back to the basket. Gafford was at least expected to provide some resistance down low, and rather than getting played off the floor as he had in previous series, he left his mark on the series.

Gafford knew he wasn't at his best during his postgame interview, and he'll have to be better on both ends if they want to take down the Clippers.