Mavericks vs. Clippers: NBA Playoffs first round series preview

The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers are set to meet in the NBA playoffs for the second consecutive season. L.A. made short work of Dallas a year ago in Orlando, and enters this best-of-seven series as a heavy -400 favorite.

Let’s take a deep dive into this series and predict who will be the last team standing.

Clippers are looking to avenge last year's early playoff ouster

Throughout the 2019-20 season, the Clippers were one of the presumed favorites to win the title, but they exited the Orlando Bubble in the second round after losing three straight to the Denver Nuggets.

Los Angeles enters the postseason this year as the fourth overall seed in the Western Conference, finishing second in the Pacific Division behind the Phoenix Suns. L.A.'s 47-25 record included an impressive 26-10 home record, and the Clips were second in the conference in average point differential at +6.2 per game.

The strength of this Clippers team are its offensive firepower and depth. They are truly one of the deepest teams in the league, and have quality back-ups at every position. The Clippers’ weakness is rim protection, as the strength of their defense clearly lives on the perimeter with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Patrick Beverley.

Dallas needs a monster series from Doncic

The Mavericks enter the playoffs as the fifth seed in the Western Conference, having won the Southwest Division with a pedestrian 42-30 record. They do enter having won 12 of their last 15 games, but are just 21-21 in conference play.

The Mavericks are led by Luka Doncic, who averaged 27.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game during the regular season. His running mate is Kristaps Porzingis, who will need to be a dominating presence in this series if for Mavericks to stand a chance of advancing. The Clippers may look to assign Serge Ibaka to Porzingis to negate some of his size advantage, but if Porzingis opts to float on the perimeter it will likely play into the Clippers’ defensive plans.

For the Mavericks to succeed, Doncic is going to have to take over games and set up Dallas' three-point shooters, as well as knock down some treys himself. The Mavericks protect the ball well on offense with heady play, but otherwise don’t do anything spectacularly, so look for a lot of pick and roll action as Doncic tries to capitalize on mismatches.

Mavericks vs. Clippers X-Factors

For the Clippers, Terance Mann has been a revelation. The second-year guard from Florida State started slow to begin the season, but has put up double-digit points in five of his last 10 games. Leonard and George are known commodities, but it Mann adds consistent playmaking off the bench to sustain leads when L.A.'s stars rest.

For the Mavericks, Jalen Brunson needs to have a big series to sway the outcome. Brunson is the second most efficient scorer on the team, and the heady Villanova alum is shooting better than 40% from deep. He's been in intense games before, and has never shied away from big moments.

Mavericks vs. Clippers Series Prediction

While Doncic is an elite playmaker and Porzingis has remained healthy enough to contribute in meaningful ways, the Mavericks' offense simply won’t be able to keep pace with the Clippers throughout the entirety of this series.

Leonard and George seem to be entering these playoffs slightly underrated, perhaps as a result of last year’s disappointment. With so much depth to compliment their star power, the Clippers are simply the better team and a seven-game series gives them time to fully establish that. Look for the Clippers to handle the Mavericks easily, winning in five games.

Series prediction: Clippers in 5