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Kawhi Leonard grabbed seven rebounds in 35 minutes in Game 2. In his two previous meetings with the Mavs, Leonard collected 10 and six rebounds. Dallas gives up the third-most rebounds in the NBA (53.7 percent) and has yielded 59 per game over its last three. Leonard (knee) is questionable but expected to play. He is "feeling good" after returning to action Tuesday, per coach Ty Lue. Look for Leonard to play 30-plus minutes and pull down at least six rebounds.
We saw the Dallas Mavericks flip the switch in game two on the defensive end of the floor. They forced tough shots the entire game from the Clipper’s star players in Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Paul George. Now expect the Mavericks to defend their home court as they were the top team in the NBA down the stretch of the season.
We suspect this series will continue to be played on the edge, with scorelines as close as the Dallas win in Game 2. Kawhi Leonard (knee) is going to appear on the Clips' injury report for every game, but he fact he got back on the floor at midweek suggests he is likely to continue giving it a go in the playoffs. Of course, LA won Game One minus Kawhi, and the Mavs continue to lean very hard on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who scored more than 60% of the Dallas points in Game 2. Even if Kawhi doesn't feature, still plenty of go-to scorers on the Clips side, and the zig-zag has already worked once in this series. Play Clippers
This combo line feels like a free roll considering how it is, in addition to the possibility that Kawhi Leonard may miss this game. Leonard is listed as questionable and he did not appear to be close to 100% in Game 2 where he shot 7-17 from the field. Russell Westbrook still logged at least 23 minutes in both games and in the event that Leonard misses Game 3, his usage and playing time are likely to both increase. Regardless of Leonard's status tonight, Russ appears locked into a 22-25 minutes off the bench and is certainly not shy or passive whenever hes on the court.
With Kawhi Leonard out for Game 1, Russell Westbrook chipped in 13 points and four rebounds over 23 minutes off the bench. He played 24 minutes despite Leonard returning in Game 2, finishing with seven points and nine rebounds. During the regular season, he averaged 11.1 points and 5.0 rebounds over 23 minutes per game. This line is set too low, considering that Westbrook is a key member of the Clippers’ second unit. Take the over.
Kawhi Leonard figures to be a bit more in rhythm with a game under his belt as well as a few practices, while the Mavs will be without Tim Hardaway Jr. and are listing starting big Daniel Gafford as questionable Friday. Since about March 20, the Clippers have been much better on the road than at home. Overall this season, LA was first in the NBA on the road in three-point shooting (39.8%) and in free-throw shooting (82.8%).