Clippers vs Mavericks Series Odds Now List LAC as +200 Underdogs After Going Down 0-2

• After a Game 2 loss, the Los Angeles Clippers are out to +200 to win their series with the Dallas Mavericks
• Luka Doncic has lit up the Clippers through the first two games; Is there any value in backing a Clippers comeback?
• See the new series odds and an outlook on the Clips future below

This was the series the Clippers wanted. They tanked late-season games to move into this matchup with Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, a team they beat in the bubble last season. That bubble series was not without its scares, however, and those issues have resurfaced in the 2021 Playoffs.

Ty Lue’s team are 2-0 down heading to Texas. Dallas can move into the second round without having to return to Los Angeles. The Clippers have been favored comfortably in each of the two games, but they have had no answer for Doncic, and their effort level came into question on Tuesday night.

Among the title favorites all year long, the Clippers are now out at +200 to win this first round series. They must win four of the next five games to progress.

Clippers vs Mavericks Series Odds

Odds as of May 26th

Five Straight Losses

For a team which was supposedly made to win in the postseason, the Clippers have proved to be a mess when it matters most. It’s five consecutive playoff losses.

Where shots were hitting the side of the backboard in the bubble meltdown, it was the defensive end where they were embarrassed on Tuesday. Lue has adjustments to make, but the effort was simply non-existent.

Luka Doncic first 8 playoff games:

42-7-9
28-8-7
13-10-10
43-17-13
22-8-4
38-9-9
31-10-11
39-7-7

He is averaging 32/10/9 on 50% shooting. pic.twitter.com/dZj7YeAtz0

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 26, 2021

The offense was the scapegoat for Game 1. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were a combined 17-for-40. Marcus Morris missed six threes. Perhaps nerves could be to blame for Game 1 after such an historic collapse in the bubble.

Game 2, though, was different. A defense which was average at the weekend was woeful on Tuesday night. Whether allowing the Mavericks to run in transition or getting cooked by Doncic in the pick-and-roll, the Clippers were guilty of lapses in concentration and inconsistent effort.

This was a near must-win for Lue’s team, and they didn’t play like it on the defensive end.

The Clippers gave us 55 shots from rookies Daniel Oturu and Jay Scrubb in the final two games against tanking Rockets and Thunder teams just so they could play the Mavericks in Round One. pic.twitter.com/l1pwHLoRfu

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) May 26, 2021

Leonard and George picked up in Game 2, at least. They put up a combined 69 points on 43 shots. It depends on your outlook to whether that’s a good sign. Losing a game when the two All-Stars perform like that is a concern, but it’s also a boost to see the pair be more efficient after their Game 1 struggles. One of them will have to take the Doncic assignment full-time for the remainder of the series.

Dallas Shooting May Cool Off

It was fair to wonder if the first game was an outlier. Dallas shot 47.2% from three, and the Clippers were below 28%. Such a contrast in efficiency was unlikely to continue. The Mavericks were even more lethal from range in Game 2, however, and while there’s a good chance their shooting will cool off, having those two wins on the board is invaluable.

Luka had a 43, a 42, and a 38 point game when the Mavs and Clippers met last postseason AND a game winner and the Clippers were like "yeah…..we want that guy again. Line it up"

— 🐿️✨America Is Musty✨🐿️ (@DragonflyJonez) May 26, 2021

That’s not to mention the Clippers’ poor defense, particularly on the perimeter. The Mavs have plenty of above-average shooters, and if you allow them good looks as the Clippers did, they are going to drain shots.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is north of 60% from three for the series. Dorian Finney-Smith is over 55%. These are figures that are unlikely to keep up if this goes six or seven games, but Dallas probably only needs one more hot-shooting night to wrap this thing up.

Hardaway has played the best basketball of his career over the last few months, and with the Clippers defense only going to focus more tightly on Doncic, there will be even more good looks for the former Knick.

The Clippers gave Luke Kennard $64 million.

He has played 0 minutes in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/OKrslabFRh

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 26, 2021

Winning on Tuesday gave the Mavs a margin for error. They probably won’t shoot 50% from three for the rest of the series, but they might not need to.

Series Is Over

If the pressure was on the Clippers before Game 1, it ramped up after the loss. It was higher still for Game 2. The Clippers have shown (for five consecutive games) that they do not deal well with pressure.

Knowing that a series defeat would plunge them into crisis for the second time in less than 12 months, it will take a gargantuan effort for the Clippers to make this a competitive series.

COME ON. Luka running one-legged fadeaway 3 pic.twitter.com/Y7MVMDSJXl

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 26, 2021

Changing the defensive coverage of Doncic is a big step that Lue can take. When he makes one-footed, three-point leaners, though, it isn’t going to matter how they guard him.

Confidence in the Clippers as a playoff team was already low. It’s incredibly hard to have any faith in them to turn this around, particularly with the series heading to Dallas. While it’s a short price, the Mavs are still value to progress.