Doncic defeaning as Mavs even series with Clippers

Luka Doncic wanted to "make some noise" to let the Los Angeles Clippers know who the Dallas Mavericks really are, and he did just that on April 23.

- 

The Slovenian scored 32 points as the Mavs battled to a 96-93 road victory in a tense National Basketball Association (NBA) Western Conference play-off first-round duel.

He combined with Kyrie Irving for 55 points to ensure that Dallas will head back to Texas with honours even at 1-1 in the best-of-seven series.

"We had to make some noise in the second game, you know, first game wasn't our best game. So we had to come out here and prove that we can play with them," Doncic said.

He also saluted the contribution of Irving, adding: “It's amazing having him on our team. It just helps me a lot. A great guy and just

happy that he's here." Doncic and Irving formed a sublime double act in a hard-fought fourth quarter, orchestrating a crucial 14-0 run that effectively took the game away from the Clippers, who had downed Dallas 109-97 in Game 1.