The Dallas Mavericks have pushed the Los Angeles Clippers to the brink of elimination in the 2024 NBA playoffs. The Mavs ran away from the Kawhi Leonard-less Clippers on Wednesday night as Luka Doncic scored 35 points in a 123-93 win that gave them a 3-2 series lead. The Clippers had won two previous games in the series without Leonard -- who is dealing with knee inflammation -- but they struggled in Game 5. No Clipper scored more than 15 points, and James Harden was held to seven points on 2-for-12 shooting.
The 30-point loss was the largest playoff defeat in Clippers history, and it wasn't the only playoff blowout on Wednesday.
Earlier in the night, the Celtics dismantled the Heat to advance to the second round. Boston was up big early and cruised to a 34-point win to eliminate the defending Eastern Conference champs. The Celtics became the first Eastern Conference team to advance in this year's playoff bracket, as just 12 teams remain in the hunt for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Here are Wednesday's final scores, along with a few takeaways from the night.
NBA playoffs scores: Wednesday, May 1
- Game 5: Celtics 118, Heat 84 (Box score) -- Boston wins 4-1
- Game 5: Mavericks 123, Clippers 93 (Box score) -- Mavs lead 3-2
Celtics exorcize demons
Granted they didn't have their best player (and Celtics kryptonite) Jimmy Butler for the entire series, but this is exactly the way that Boston needed to dispatch a Miami squad that the C's have met in four of the last five postseasons and the team that eliminated them last year. Great teams don't mess around with opponents that have no business competing with them, and that's how the Celtics behaved on Wednesday, thoroughly dominating the Heat for the third consecutive game to pick up a 4-1 series win.
If you consider Boston's Game 2 loss to be a product of scorching shooting from Miami, the Celtics can gain confidence from the fact that they won the other four games by an average of 22 points. The Cavs and Magic both had better records than Miami during the regular season, but it's hard to imagine that the Celtics aren't breathing a sigh of relief after getting past those pesky Heat.
Horford passes latest test
The way the Celtics played almost makes you forget that a key member of their starting five -- Kristaps Porzingis -- was not only out for Game 5, but could also reportedly miss their entire second-round series. The offseason acquisition has been essential to Boston's dominance thus far, so it was fair to ask how they would replace the dynamism he brings at both ends.
Enter Al Horford, who just shows up with his lunchpail every postseason and gives the Celtics exactly what they need. He put up 8 points, six rebounds and three assists in Wednesday's clincher, making a 3-pointer while going 3 for 4 from the field. Though not the volume shooter that Porzingis is, Horford still commands attention with his ability to stretch the floor.
This is nothing new, of course. Horford stepped in for various starters throughout the year, and has played whatever role the Celtics need from him over the course of his six seasons with the franchise. Though he only played 22 minutes on Wednesday, he'll be featured much more prominently this postseason as long as Porzingis is out.
Luka flu game?
In addition to playing through a sprained knee, Luka Doncic said he has been sick for the past week and felt so badly on Wednesday that he probably wouldn't have played if it were a regular-season game. The Mavericks are certainly glad he decided to give it a go.
Doncic put up 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in the Game 5 win, absolutely taking over in the third quarter en route to his best game of the 2024 postseason so far. He's now the fifth player in NBA history with 20 playoff games of 30 or more points at age 25 or younger. You may have heard of the others on the list: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and Jayson Tatum.
The last thing in the world the Clippers (or the rest of the NBA, for that matter) wanted to see was Doncic with his swagger back. If the Mavs are able to close out the series at home on Friday, the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder will be next in line to face his wrath.
Harden in hiding
Sigh. Thus is the paradox of James Harden in the playoffs. After an absolutely masterful clutch performance to close out the Game 4 upset in Dallas, Harden was a complete no-show at home on Wednesday night. He scored just seven points on 2-for-12 shooting, including 1-for-7 from 3-point range, committing four turnovers on a night where he seemed oddly disengaged.
I guess I shouldn't say "oddly," since this has happened to Harden basically every postseason of his career. He'll have one phenomenal game followed by a total stinker that leaves you wondering if it's even the same person behind that beard.
With Kawhi Leonard out, there's nowhere for Harden to hide. He needs to be on the level of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the Clippers to have a shot in this series. We'll see how (whether?) he shows up in Friday's Game 6 in Dallas with the Clippers' season on the line.
