3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' dominant closeout win over Clippers

Heading into Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks held a 3-2 series lead over the LA Clippers after their dominant 30-point win on Wednesday night.

The vibes were immaculate in Dallas as the Mavs had the chance to reach the second round of the NBA Playoffs for just the second time since they won the NBA Finals in 2011.

Derrick Jones Jr. and Maxi Kleber both stepped up in the Game 5 win, and Dallas' role players stepped up once again on Friday night as they helped Dallas grab a 114-101 win to move on to the second round.

3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' dominant closeout win over Clippers

The American Airlines Center was rocking all night long, and fans were ecstatic to see the Mavs take down the Clippers on their home floor.

Dallas needed revenge for their back-to-back playoff losses to the Clippers in 2020 and 2021, and that's exactly what they got on Friday night.

Here are three studs and two duds from Dallas' big win over the Clippers.

5. Stud - P.J. Washington

In Game 5, P.J. Washington struggled to get going offensively. He finished with just two points while shooting 1-7 from the field and 0-4 from downtown. Nothing was going his way and his shooting struggles continued.

Game 6 on Friday was a completely different story as Washington finished with 14 points while shooting 4-9 from the field and 4-8 from downtown. He got going early, and his hot shooting start and stellar defense on the other end helped lead Dallas to this win.

Outside of his hot 3-point shooting, Washington was attacking the bucket and getting to the free-throw line. Washington's energy on both ends of the floor is contagious, and he picked the perfect game to go off.

Washington was a massive X-factor heading into this series, and without him, the Mavs may not have won Game 6. Dallas' hot start that was fueled by Luka Doncic and Washington was wiped away as the game was tied 52-52 at halftime, but Washington's performance on both ends in the second half helped them pull away and grab the win.

He truly helped change the Mavs for the better when they traded for him, and he is extremely excited for the challenge ahead of them.

4. Dud - P.J. Tucker

One of the craziest developments of the Dallas Mavericks and LA Clippers series has been Kawhi Leonard's knee injury that kept him out for Games 1, 4, 5, and 6. Skip Bayless was the first person to report that Leonard would be out for Game 1 but return in Game 2, and he was exactly right.

Despite Leonard returning to the lineup and playing in Games 2 and 3, he was not playing like himself. He looked uncomfortable out there, and this knee inflammation ended up being more serious than expected. Leonard's knee injury changed everything about this series, and the Clippers had to find a new starting forward. For the first three games that Leonard missed, it was Amir Coffey, but Tyronn Lue decided to roll the dice a little bit in Game 6 and he started P.J. Tucker.

Tucker had only played 10 minutes in the entire series (all in Game 5) before Game 6, and he was the clear weak link in the Clippers starting lineup. Tucker finished with eight points on the night, and he had the second-worst plus/minus on the Clippers with a -14.

Starting Tucker after he had barely played all series was a questionable decision to begin with, and he didn't make much of an impact on either end of the floor. Many of the Clippers players could have played better in this loss, and Tucker being on this list is more due to the fact that Leonard would have been playing in his spot if his knee wasn't injured.

3. Stud - Kyrie Irving

In the first half of the Game 6 win, Kyrie Irving had just two points and couldn't get anything going offensively. The LA Clippers were taking him out of this game, and his impact was minimized by tight defense and Irving forcing some shots.

He didn't seem like himself at all, and the Dallas Mavericks were going to need a big half out of him if they wanted to win this game. The game was tied 52-52 at halftime, and Irving showed the world how elite of a second-half player he is in the third and fourth quarters.

Irving scored 28 points in the third and fourth quarters alone, and he knows when he needs to kick his play into high gear. His game awareness is on another level, and he was hitting some of the craziest shots that only he can hit.

One play that shows just how excellent Irving was in this game happened in the second half when he hit a three while he was fading to his right and he was fouled. Irving converted the four-point play, and the American Airlines Center erupted as the fans were watching history unfold right in front of their eyes.

Irving is built for the NBA Playoffs, and his 13-0 record in closeout games shows that. The Mavs will go as far as Luka Doncic and Irving carry them, and the Oklahoma City Thunder should have a healthy fear of Irving considering how well he is playing combined with his immense playoff experience.

2. Dud - Dante Exum

Before the 2024 NBA Playoffs began, Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum was someone who was expected to be a huge difference-maker. Exum had great stretches during the regular season that showed he can step up when the lights are brightest and when his teammates need him most, but he has been struggling since the playoffs began.

In Game 6, Exum finished with two points while shooting 1-3 from the field and 0-1 from downtown. Exum's one bucket was a smooth scoop layup, but he continues to miss wide-open threes. This is so out of the ordinary for him considering he shot nearly 50 percent from downtown during the regular season, and hiss struggless in this series were concerning.

There were even points in this series where Exum looked unplayable, and he has to find a way to make his impact felt whenever he's in the game. Exum brings effort and versatility on defense, but he has to start canning the open threes that he gets.

Exum shot a combined 0-6 from three in this series, and although that's a low volume, it's wild that he didn't drain a single shot from downtown considering how great of a shooter he was during the regular season.

Hopefully Exum can put his shooting struggles behind him in the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and some confidence would be huge for him.

1. Stud - Luka Doncic

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic was coming off his best game of the entire playoffs entering Friday night's game against the LA Clippers, and he followed up Wednesday night's 35-point game with another good game.

Doncic finished with 28 points, seven rebounds, and 13 assists in the Game 6 win while shooting 9-26 from the field and 1-10 from downtown. It wasn't the best shooting night for Doncic, but he left his mark on this game early as he finished with 14 points and four assists in the first quarter.

Doncic didn't knock down a three in the first quarter, but he was attacking the rim, getting to the free-throw line, and getting his teammates involved. Doncic looked to be emphasizing getting P.J. Washington involved early, and this led to two Washington first-quarter threes.

Doncic was dialed in on closing this series out from the opening tip, and the knee injury that was holding him back in several of the previous games seemed to be much more nonexistent than in past games. He was playing good defense, moving his feet well, and he was attacking the rim with force.

Dallas is at their best when Doncic attacks the rim early and often, and that's what he did on Friday night.

Dallas' first game of their second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder is on Tuesday.

For all the latest on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024 NBA Playoffs, stay tuned.