NBA 2K24 predicts who will win Clippers-Mavericks first-round series

Meeting in the playoffs for the third time since 2020, the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks face off in the first round starting Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Dallas guard Luka Doncic — who won the regular-season scoring title with 37.5 points per game — is 0-2 in his career against Los Angeles in the postseason. He and the Mavericks lost in seven games in the first round in 2021 and in six games in 2020.

Can Doncic and the Mavs get their revenge? Or will Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Co. weather the storm and reach the Western Conference semis? We simulated the series in NBA 2K24, and here were the results.

Game 1: Mavericks 162, Clippers 154 OT (DAL leads 1-0)

The Mavericks and Clippers made history from the outset of their first-round series, as they smashed the NBA record for the highest-scoring playoff game of all time. The total of 316 points was 12 more than the previous record, which was set May 11, 1992 when the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns, 153-151, in the Western Conference semis.

Tied at 137-137 in the waning moments of regulation, George drew a foul and knocked down two free throws with eight seconds left to give the Clippers a two-point advantage. After calling a timeout and getting his team settled, head coach Jason Kidd drew up a perfect play that allowed Dante Exum to break free for a buzzer-beating dunk to send the game to overtime.

In the overtime period, Dallas guard Kyrie Irving scored eight points to help his team pick up a road win and the series lead.

Doncic had a predictably massive performance in Game 1, picking up a triple-double with 43 points, 19 rebounds and 12 assists. Irving chipped in 31 points and nine assists, and overall eight Mavericks finished with at least 10 points.

George led the way for Los Angeles, scoring 36 points to go with five rebounds and five assists. Leonard struggled to shoot the ball, scoring 18 points while knocking down 5-of-16 field goal attempts (31.3%). Playing off the bench, Russell Westbrook went for 18-7-6 and made 3-of-5 (60%) attempts from 3-point range.

While they picked up a win, the Mavericks also lost Exum to a strained right hip. The forward is expected to miss the rest of the series.

Screenshot captured on Xbox Series X Screenshot captured on Xbox Series X

Game 2: Clippers 115, Mavericks 104 (Series tied 1-1)

A game of streaks trended toward the Clippers in the closing moments, as Los Angeles won Game 2 at home to even the series at 1-1 behind a big game from Leonard.

Leonard finished the night with 31 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. He was the only Clippers player to score more than 15 points in the game, as George shot 4-of-14 from the floor and ended with 12 points. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses for Los Angeles, though, as they lost Bones Hyland to an injury midway through the game.

Hyland, like Exum in the previous game, suffered a hip injury and will be out the rest of the series.

Pretty much everyone besides Doncic — who finished with 32-12-8 — shot poorly for Dallas, including Irving, who had 12 points on 5-of-15 (33.3%) from the field. As a team, the Mavericks shot 42.4% from the field and 32.4% from 3-point range. They were also outscored 18-2 in fast-break points.

The two teams head to Dallas for Game 3 with the series tied. It is now, essentially, a best-of-five series.

Screenshot captured on Xbox Series X Screenshot captured on Xbox Series X

Game 3: Clippers 106, Mavericks 101 (LAC leads 2-1)

A furious fourth-quarter comeback wasn’t enough for the Mavericks to pick up the win at home, and the Clippers came out on top in their first road game of the playoffs with a five-point win.

Los Angeles started the game on a 10-0 run and held a double-digit lead for most of the night before Dallas started its comeback during the final period. The Clippers were led once again by Leonard, who had 26 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Ivica Zubac also had a solid game, picking up a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) while making seven of his nine shots (77.8%) from the field.

Doncic had 26-10-6 to lead Dallas, but once again the other Mavericks had a lot of problems putting the ball in the basket. Irving was 7-for-21, Tim Hardaway Jr. was 4-for-14 and P.J. Washington was 3-for-7.

The Clippers won Game 3 despite shooting 17 less free throws than the Mavericks. If they can now take home another road win in Game 4, they’ll return to Los Angeles for Game 5 with a chance to clinch the series.

Screenshot captured on Xbox Series X Screenshot captured on Xbox Series X

Game 4: Clippers 125, Mavericks 106 (LAC leads 3-1)

The Clippers are now 2-0 on the road in the playoffs and in prime position to advance to the Western Conference semis after a 19-point win over Dallas in Game 4. Los Angeles only led by six points entering the fourth quarter, but the Mavericks simply ran out of gas over the final 12 minutes.

It was a balanced scoring effort from the Clippers, who got a big boost off the bench from Westbrook. The former NBA MVP had 21 points, eight rebounds and nine assists and brought a contagious energy to the rest of the lineup. Leonard and George didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, both scoring 20 points on 17-of-40 (42.5%) shooting from the field.

Doncic was Dallas’ leading scorer for the fourth straight game, totaling 29 points to go with 12 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Irving was just 5-of-14 from the field for 14 points, while reserve guard Jaden Hardy had 20 points off the bench.

Los Angeles held a 20-2 edge in fast-break points and outscored the Mavericks, 56-36, in the paint. Dallas was sloppy with the ball for most of the night, committing 17 total turnovers. The Mavericks will have to shake off the poor performance if they now hope to extend the series.

Screenshot captured on Xbox Series X Screenshot captured on Xbox Series X

Game 5: Clippers 127, Mavericks 120 (LAC wins 4-1)

The Clippers battled back from a 22-point first-half deficit to win Game 5 and advance past the Mavs. While many thought the lower-seeded Mavericks would come out on top at the outset of the series, Los Angeles proved why they are a threat for the Western Conference banner with a closeout win.

George picked a great time to have his best game of the series, as he led the way with 32 points, four rebounds, six assists and three steals. Zubac had 20 points and eight rebounds while shooting 9-of-11 from the field, while Leonard (17), James Harden (17) and Westbrook (15) all had at least 15 points.

George and Leonard combined for 45.6 points per game in the series, just a tad below their regular-season average of 46.3 per game. Zubac was the most impactful big man in the series for either side, averaging 14.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

On the other side, Doncic had 42 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists — leading the team in all three categories. Irving, meanwhile, fouled out after only playing 21 minutes and finished the game with nine points and three assists.

This is now the third time in four career playoff appearances Doncic — who averaged 34.4 points, 13.6 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game in the series loss to the Clippers — has lost in the first round. The only time he made it out of the opening round was 2021-22, when he led the Mavericks to the Western Conference finals before falling to the Warriors.

Los Angeles will play the winner of Oklahoma City and the Play-In winner of Sacramento and New Orleans in the Western Conference semis.

Screenshot captured on Xbox Series X Screenshot captured on Xbox Series X