LOS ANGELES — With all eyes on Luka Doncic’s ability to power through a right knee sprain and an illness, he led the Dallas Mavericks to a 123-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. He racked up 35 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds after shooting
Among the adjustments the Mavericks made was to more frequently deploy double big lineups with Maxi Kleber on the court next to one of Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II. It was challenging for the Clippers to attack the paint or get clean looks from beyond the arc, proving to be the result of Dallas tightening up significantly on that front.
May 1, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Clippers guard Amir Coffey (7) and Dallas Mavericks
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Doncic got off to a strong start in the game, getting to the rim more frequently than in prior performances and having his short-range touch in his favor. He scored 15 points while shooting 7 of 10 from inside the arc. However, he continued to struggle to make his 3-point attempts, missing all five he took before halftime.
The Clippers were unable to receive additional dynamic performances from Paul George or James Harden in this match after they both dominated in Game 4. After the Clippers led by two points late the first quarter, Dallas began to take over and never looked after closing the first.
Aside from Maxi Kleber’s four made 3-pointers in the first half, the Mavericks sorely struggled in the perimeter shooting department, going 1 of 15 outside Kleber’s 4 of 6. Beyond Doncic’s 15 points, he added six assists and five rebounds at the break, while Irving had six points and five assists.
The Mavericks struggled to handle Terance Mann and Ivica Zubac throughout the first half, but the rest of the Clippers struggled to contribute. Both players added double-figure scoring, with Zubac having 13 points on 6 of 7 shooting and Mann adding 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting. The rest of the team had 22 points on 7 of 31 shooting at the break.
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After a near 24-second shot clock turnover forced by the defense, the Mavericks pushed the pace with Irving throwing a no-look lob to Gafford for an acrobatic finish. The play put Dallas ahead by double figures for the first time, occurring late in the second quarter.
After a series of incredible plays from the Mavericks’ superstar backcourt, including a flashy behind-the-back move into an inside finish from Irving, later followed by Doncic hitting a tough short-range jumper, then Doncic finishing an and-one, Dallas had broken the game open. The Mavericks led by as many as 25 points midway through the third quarter, with Doncic and Irving making no shortage of savvy offensive plays and strong defensive execution to back them up.
There was a significant rise in the frequency the Clippers blitzed Doncic after Irving checked out of the game late in the third quarter. With Dallas deploying a bigger lineup, Doncic signaled to his unit to play out of Horns while having a big in the dunker spot, posing problems for Los Angeles.
The Mavericks closed the third quarter with a four-point play out of the corner from Josh Green being a big play. Dallas continued to control the momentum. Doncic hit a step-back 3-pointer after drawing Zubac on a switch, followed by Irving hitting a paint jumper, pushing the Mavericks’ lead to 27, and entering a timeout with 7:25 left to play.
Continuing to pour it on the Clippers, Doncic attacked the paint for an and-one on a floater to push the Mavericks’ lead to 30 points. He checked out after intentionally fouling following making his free throw. Dallas held a lead too substantial for Los Angeles to make a rallying effort.
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The next installment of this series will take place on Friday, May 3, at American Airlines Center.
For the second time, the Dallas Stars will attempt to close out the seemingly stubborn Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.
Colorado staved off elimination on Wednesday with a 5-3 win in Dallas, forcing Friday’s Game 6 in Colorado. The Stars take a 3-2 lead into the series’ pivotal sixth game and no doubt Pete DeBoer, Jamie Benn, Wyatt Johnston and all the rest would like to avoid a win-or-go-home Game 7.
Will we shake hands tonight, or are we headed back to Dallas for 7?
Follow along below for live updates and coverage.
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Game updates
First period, 6:30 remaining:
Alexandar Georgiev just stopped Evgenii Dadonov on the doorstep.
First period, 7:00 remaining: A bit of a choppy start to Game 6 — lots of whistles, stops and starts. Just seven shots on goal through the first eight minutes of play as both teams look to get their offenses settled.
Pregame updates
Get this: the Avs fans got ahead of the “Stars” in the national anthem and started booing before the Stars fans could even say it.
8:43 p.m.: Here are the Stars’ expected lines for Friday night, with a jolt of a surprise: Recent call-up Alexander Petrovic is in for Nils Lundkvist. Petrovic is a 32-year-old defenseman who appeared in one game for Dallas this season.
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DENVER — Ball Arena, we meet again.
The Stars look to stay perfect here and punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals🌟 pic.twitter.com/Q1B0A9wDMI
The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for the 2024 NFL season, and their defense will need to be special if they will be contenders.
With several key players returning and some new faces in the mix, let’s look at the projected starters and rank them based on what we expect to see from their performance on the field.
Jul 29, 2023; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith (58) wears a Guardian / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mazi Smith had a disappointing rookie season, so putting him any higher on this list wouldn’t feel right. The hope is that he thrives in Mike Zimmer’s system and can become the dominant run-stopper that they drafted him to be.
Jul 27, 2023; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (35) wears a Guardian / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Unfortunately for Overshown, he tore his ACL during the preseason, and we never saw him play during his rookie season. Reports say Overshown has put on some extra muscle during the offseason and the coaches are impressed with how he attacked the recovery process.
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I expect Overshown to be much higher on this list next year.
Jan 14, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark (33) reacts after a / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Clark missed a significant chunk of his rookie campaign recovering from a neck injury he suffered at LSU. Last season, he started all 17 games for the Cowboys and had a solid year.
He needs to improve at stacking and shedding blocks in the run game, but he brings sideline-to-sideline speed and toughness to this defense.
Sep 24, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) runs against / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Malik Hooker joined the Cowboys in 2021, and he has been one of their better free-agent signings in recent memory.
While he’s not an all-pro type of safety, he is reliable and has done an excellent job playing coverage in the deep third of Dallas’ defense. Fortunately for the Cowboys, Hooker has been able to stay healthy, which he was never able to do during his time with the Indianapolis Colts.
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Oct 1, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (8) carries the / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Eric Kendricks isn’t quite the player he used to be for the Minnesota Vikings, but he is still a solid linebacker. He’s smart, tough, and has a great feel for zone coverage. He is the perfect kind of mentor who should do wonders for the development of the young linebackers on this team.
Jan 7, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Dallas Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson (6) celebrates with / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Donovan Wilson has been up and down over the past few seasons. But when he is healthy, he is a missile in the secondary.
Wilson is a pseudo-linebacker who plays like his hair is on fire and adds intensity to this team.
Oct 9, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (97) / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Odighizuwa doesn’t get much love from the national media, but the coaches and players on this team know that he is a force. Osa is as tough as nails and does a lot of the dirty work on the interior of this defense. Dallas’ run defense would be hard to watch without Odighizuwa.
Jan 14, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (90) tackles / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Lawrence has been a cornerstone player for the Dallas Cowboys for a decade, and somehow, he is still criminally underrated. He is, arguably, the best run-defending EDGE in the entire NFL and has great versatility to play all over the defensive line.
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Ranking him as the fourth-best defensive player felt too low, but Dallas has some dominant players on the defensive side of the ball.
Jan 8, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs (7) gestures on the / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
On most teams, Diggs would be their best defensive player. He missed most of the 2023 season with an ACL tear in his left knee, but he is expected to be ready for training camp.
When healthy, Diggs is a star and is a massive difference-maker for the defense.
Jan 7, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) intercepts a pass / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
DaRon Bland followed up his stellar rookie season with an All-Pro year in 2023. Bland has quickly become one of the best young defensive backs in the league. He is the NFL record holder for interceptions returned for a touchdown in a season (5) and has 14 interceptions in his first two seasons. Bland is off to an all-time great start to his career.
Dec 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) stands on the / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
There was no doubt that Parsons would be at the top of this ranking. Micah is a generational talent and one of the best defensive players in all of football. Nothing more needs to be said.
The dust has settled from the 2024 NFL schedule release, and now the Dallas Cowboys faithful are going over the team’s week-to-week opponents ad nauseam.
There have been season record predictions for the Cowboys and plenty of analysis while we wait for the start of OTAs and training camp.
In the meantime, there is plenty of other news around the NFL and Cowboys Nation, from early betting odds for the season to roster battles to ridiculous soundbites from the coaches.
While we prepare for the weekend, let’s take a look at some of the Cowboys news making waves on the internet.
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The Cowboys open the 2024 NFL season on the road against the Cleveland Browns in a game that the oddsmakers view as a virtual pick ’em. However, they are favored in a majority of their games throughout the year.
According to DraftKings, the Cowboys are favored in 14 of the team’s 17 games this season.
The Browns are listed as a one-point favorite, the San Francisco 49ers game is not listed, and the road game against the division rival Eagles has Dallas as two-point dogs.
A full breakdown can be seen on The Cowboys Wire.
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There have been a number of questions about the Cowboys offense after the team watched star players leave in free agency and failed to sign any big names of their own.
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However, Dallas has some young talent on its roster that now has experience which should translate to improvements on the field in 2024.
The wide receivers and tight ends are the position groups to watch, with players like Jalen Tolbert, KaVonte Turpin, and rookie Ryan Flournoy should add depth to the receiving corp, while tight ends Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker should continue to blossom. (Blogging the Boys)
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