Luka Doncic scores 42, Mavericks take series lead vs. Clippers

June 3 (UPI) — All-Star guard Luka Doncic scored 42 points with 14 assists and eight rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a Game 5 win and a 3-2 series lead against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Doncic made 17 of 37 shots and 6 of 12 3-point attempts in the 105-100 triumph Wednesday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. He is averaging 35 points, 9.4 assists and eight rebounds per game for the series.

“I could have played way better,” Doncic told reporters. “I missed a lot of shots, a lot of layups that I should make.

“It wasn’t just me, the whole team was unbelievable. They were bringing up the energy.”

Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. chipped in 20 points and made a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds to secure the victory.

Doncic scored 19 points in the first quarter to help the Mavericks earn a 35-28 lead through the first 12 minutes. The Clippers outscored the Mavericks 26-21 in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 56-54 at halftime.

Doncic poured in another 13 points in the third quarter. The Mavericks used a 22-3 run in the frame to push their lead to 89-75 going into the fourth quarter.

The Clippers fell behind by a game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter, but later outscored the Mavericks 16-6 to cut the deficit to 95-91 with 4:13 to go.

Hardaway and Doncic responded with 3-pointers on two-consecutive possessions to push the lead back to 10 points. The Clippers rallied with a Kawhi Leonard And-1 to cut the Mavericks lead to 101-100 with 39.5 seconds remaining.

The Clippers failed to make shots down the stretch and Hardaway sank two free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining to keep the Mavericks ahead.

Paul George scored a team-high 23 points with 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocks in the loss. Leonard and Reggie Jackson scored 20 points apiece for the Clippers.

“They did a good job of making us turn over the ball and collapsing [defensively],” Leonard told reporters. “We just missed shots. We couldn’t get anything to go in.”

The Mavericks host the Clippers in Game 6 at 9 p.m. EDT Friday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The winner battles the top-seeded Utah Jazz next week in the Western Conference Semifinals.