Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving lead Mavericks past Clippers, tie playoff series

April 24 (UPI) -- Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for more than half of the Dallas Mavericks' 96 points, sparking a comeback victory over the Los Angeles Clippers and tying the first-round playoff series 1-1.

Doncic totaled a game-high 32 points, nine assists and six rebounds in the 96-93 win in Game 2 of the Western Conference series Tuesday at Cypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Irving Chipped in 23 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

"I'm just trying to have fun out there," Doncic told reporters. "The playoffs are fun. The intensity is way higher. I'm just going out there to play hard and have fun."

The Mavericks outshot the Clippers 42.1% to 36.8%. They also shot 42.4% from 3-point range, compared to the Clippers' 26.7% clip. The game featured 10 lead changes and was tied nine times.

"The big thing was to stay together," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. "We've seen teams take the lead. The big thing is they truly believe they can stay together. We answered with the run. We felt like we had some good looks. The Clippers are a very good team. We knew they weren't going to just go away."

Doncic scored a dozen points over the first 12 minutes, helping the Mavericks carry a 23-19 lead into the second quarter. Both teams scored 22 points over the next 12 minutes. The Mavericks carried a 55-41 lead into the third quarter.

The Clippers then used a 7-0 run to even the score and went on to carry a 66-65 lead into the fourth. They started the final frame on a 7-2 run. But the Mavericks responded with a 14-0 surge to take a 81-73 lead with 5:18 remaining and never trailed again.

The Clippers nearly closed the deficit several times, but could not tie the score or take the lead down the stretch.

Doncic made 11 of 26 shots, including 5 of 14 from 3-point range. Irving made 8 of 18 shots, including 4 of 8 from downtown. Mavericks forwards P.J. Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. scored 18 and 10 points, respectively.

Clippers guard James Harden and forward Paul George scored 22 points apiece. Star forward Kawhi Leonard, who returned from a knee injury absence for his first game since March 31, scored 15 points in the loss.

The No. 5 Mavericks (1-1) will host the No. 4 Clippers (1-1) in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series at 8 p.m. EDT Friday in Dallas. The winner of the series will face the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder or No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Thunder beat the Pelicans in the first game of that series Sunday in Oklahoma City.