Clippers stars don't show up in ugly Game 3 loss as Mavericks take 2-1 lead

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2).

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George came to Los Angeles as a package deal. Friday night, that package didn’t deliver for the Clippers.

Leonard and George combined for 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting, but what stood out was their lack of aggression. The two only took 18 shots, but more than that, they combined to shoot just one free throw. Most of George’s shots came on the perimeter. Leonard threw down some big dunks, but that’s really all he had offensively in Los Angeles’ 101-90 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Perhaps hanging on the rim sapped Leonard’s offensive energy for the rest of the game.

Instead, it was two members of a different failed superteam that did the most damage Friday night. James Harden, from the 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets, led the Clippers with 21 points. His old Nets teammate, Kyrie Irving, had 19 of his 21 points in the second half, including 11 in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks held the Clippers at bay.

The game got chippy late, possibly due to the Clippers’ frustration on the offensive end. Terance Mann got into it with P.J. Washington, drawing double technicals.

Meanwhile, after committing a flagrant foul in the first quarter, Russell Westbrook fouled Luka Doncic with gusto late to draw a technical, then shoved Washington to draw his first career postseason ejection. He looked ready to fight every member of the Mavericks, but his team really would have preferred he just score more than one point.

Westbrook made history, but not the kind he wanted to.

But at least Westbrook was fired up. His superstar teammates fell behind 2-1 to the Mavericks, and Friday night, they didn’t seem all that upset about it.

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