Luka Doncic and Mavericks earn chippy win over Clippers for 2-1 series lead

Key Facts

Luka Doncic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and the suddenly defensive-minded Dallas Mavericks took a chippy 101-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night for a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.
Rookie Dereck Lively II scored all 13 of his points in the first half and Daniel Gafford, his tag-team partner as a dunker and rim protector, had an emphatic block of a dunk attempt by Paul George early in the fourth quarter while Dallas was taking control for good in a game with five technical fouls, a flagrant foul and two ejections.
Kyrie Irving scored 19 of his 21 points in the final 13-plus minutes, including eight in the final 1:18 of the third quarter, and was instrumental in Dallas rebuilding an 18-point lead that had been cut to six.
Westbrook, who missed all seven shots and scored one point, drew the ire of the crowd one other time when he bowled over Doncic after Zubac was called for a foul as Doncic went up for a shot.