Clippers haven’t seen the Mavs with Gafford and Washington

LOS ANGELES – It’s game day, and one caveat the Dallas Mavericks have working in their favor entering Game 1 of their best-of-seven playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers is that the Clippers haven’t played against this Mavs team.

Sure, the Clippers played the Mavs three times this season, and won two of them. But all three of those games occurred before the Mavs acquired center Daniel Gafford and forward P.J. Washington in separate trades on Feb. 8.

The lingering question is, since the Clips haven’t seen this Dallas team up close this season, does that give the Mavs a distinct advantage when the series tips off at 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena?

“I don’t know if it’s an advantage, but they haven’t had the opportunity to see this team,” coach Jason Kidd said. “On film, the coaching staff will do their part.

“They have vets over on their side – a lot of playoff experience. We’ll find out in Game 1 if it’s an advantage.”

Luka Dončić scored 44 points on 17-of-21 shots as the Mavs defeated the Clippers, 144-126, in Dallas on Nov. 10. Paul George had 25 points and nine rebounds and the Clippers beat the Mavs, 107-88, in Los Angeles on Nov. 25.

And Kawhi Leonard contributed 30 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Clippers to a 120-111 victory over the Mavs in Dallas on Dec. 20. Kyrie Irving (bruised right heel), Dereck Lively II (sprained ankle) and Josh Green (sprained elbow) all missed that game.

It was a game which Dončić finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists, and saw his streak of scoring 30 points end at 11 games in a row. Dončić, though, recognizes the importance of having Gafford and Washington on this roster and what their acquisitions have meant to the Mavs.

“I think our chemistry is on top,” Dončić said. “We’re playing defense great and we’re playing great basketball.”

Gafford has averaged 11.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while shooting a brisk 78 percent from the field in the 29 games he’s played with the Mavs this season. And Washington has averaged 11.7 points and 6.2 rebounds during his 29 games with the Mavs this season.

Still, Gafford refuses to take any credit for being one of the linchpins of a team that was 29-23 before he and Washington joined the Mavs.

Not counting the final two games of the season against Detroit and Oklahoma City when most of the Mavs regulars did not play, Dallas posted an impressive 21-7 record after acquiring Gafford and Washington, who provided this team with an abundance of aggression, defense, rebounding and rim protection.

However, Gafford attributes the Mavs’ success to future Hall of Fame guards Kyrie Irving and Dončić.

“At the end of the day they grab so much attention (that) it opens up the floor for everybody,” Gafford said. “So, putting the ball in our hands, at the end of the day they’re trusting us to make plays on the back end whenever they’ve got at least two or three guys trying to take the ball out of their hands.”

Here are some of the other nuggets surrounding Game 1 between the Mavs and Clippers.

*Mavs reserve guard Tim Hardaway Jr. sat out practice on Friday and Saturday with an illness, but is available to play in Game 1 of this series, according to coach Jason Kidd. Hardaway is one of the Mavs’ top players off the bench. “We need our bench to play at a high level,” coach Jason Kidd said. “They’re an X factor, and hopefully it’s on our side and that the guys that comes off the bench (can) knock down some shots and come up with a big stop.”

*Before the series, the Mavs received a huge advantage when Clippers coach Tyronn Lue announced less than two hours before the tipoff of Game 1 that forward Kawhi Leonard would not be playing in the series opener. Leonard hasn’t played since March 31 and missed the Clippers’ final eight regular season games while dealing with inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee. “He’s frustrated,” Lue said. “He should be. To put in the kind of work he did this year, and to play as many games as he did, and to do what he did this year and then now to miss a game in the playoffs, so it’s tough for him. But we got his back 100 percent and we’re ready to go.” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said he prepared his team this past week as if Leonard was going to play Sunday and if he wasn’t going to play. Lue also said Leonard is day-to-day and it’s too early to tell if he’ll be available to play in Game 2 on Tuesday.

*Mavs guard Luka Dončić — a strong candidate to win this season’s Most Valuable Player award – led the NBA in scoring this year (33.9), was second in assists (9.8), second in three-pointers made per game (4.1), and eighth in steals (1.4). Dončić also averaged 9.2 rebounds, which was tops among all guards.

*When the Clippers beat the Mavs, 107-88, on Nov. 25, they only got eight points from Kawhi Leonard in 29 minutes on 2-of-12 shooting. Leonard leads the Clippers with 23.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg, and is shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

*Gafford on playing alongside guard Kyrie Irving: “It helps me build my confidence to try to be a passer at the end of the day. Playing with a guy like that, he likes to play off the ball a lot, and I try to make sure I put the pass in the right spot at the right time. That’s just something that builds my confidence so we can build that chemistry between each other to help us win games.”

*The Clippers are in the twilight of playing in their home arena of Cryto.com Arena – they share it with the LA Lakers and National Hockey League’s LA Kings — for the last time. After their playoff run ends this season, the Clippers will move into their brand new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., next season. The Clippers said their new arena will offer the most legroom in the NBA, and has a special section called The Wall which consists of 51 rows behind the basket near the visitor’s bench.

*Luka Dončić discussed the challenges that comes with trying to contain the Clippers’ duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. “Those two play well together, and everybody knows what they can do offensively and defensively,” he said. “So, every game is going to be tough. Those two guys are amazing players and it’s going to be tough to stop them.”

*The Mavs and Clippers will be meeting in the playoffs for the third time in five seasons. The Clippers won the previous two series against Dallas. The Clippers beat the Mavs in six games in 2020 and in seven games in 2021.

DALLAS MAVERICKS (0-0) at LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (0-0)

When: 2:30 p.m., Sunday

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles

TV: ABC

Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @DwainPrice