Luka Doncic came to play in Sunday’s Game 7 against the Los Angeles Clippers, but that was not enough.
The Dallas Mavericks were eliminated from the playoffs after a 126-111 loss at the hands of the Clippers at the Staples Center.
Doncic, the Mavs’ 22-year-old phenom, certainly did his part, though, scoring a playoff career-high 46 points along with 14 assists and seven rebounds in a losing effort.
It was the third game this series that Doncic scored at least 40 points and fifth of his career, which is more than guys like Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Carmelo Anthony and Tim Duncan.
Yet, the Mavericks are only 2-3 in playoff games in which Doncic scores at least 40.
The 6-foot-7 guard did not receive much help from his supporting cast, particularly the bench, which scored just six points compared to the Clippers’ 27 points off the bench.
Kawhi Leonard led the way for Los Angeles, scoring 28 points and falling just shy of a triple-double with 10 rebounds and nine assists.
The Mavs also struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 27.8% from 3-point range while the Clippers shot 46.5%.
The Clippers will move on and play the No. 1 seed Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals.
As for the Mavericks, it will be a long offseason of trying to figure out what pieces the team needs in place around Doncic to make themselves a championship contender.
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