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The Best of the Day: May 25th, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from May 25, 2021 including Luka out-dueling Kawhi, LAL evening series vs. PHX with defense, and more!
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The ‘Best of the Day’ is a daily PSO original series showcasing the most significant stories, highlights, and facts going on in the land of the NFL, NBA, & MLB every day. Get a recap on EVERYTHING that happened on 5/25 here.
The Mavericks took a surprising 2-0 series lead over the Clippers thanks to Luka Doncic’s brilliant performance in Game 2. Doncic was able to out-duel Kawhi Leonard, as the Clippers have now dug themselves a difficult hole to get out of. After dropping Game 1, the Lakers were able to even their series with the Suns, as the defending champs went back to their calling card and played lockdown defense vs. Phoenix. Also, Lamar Jackson has been a TD machine at a historic rate through his first three seasons, and LeBron James passed Michael Jordan as the all-time postseason scoring leader on this day in 2017.
Here is the best of the day from May 25, 2021:
Luka out-dueled Kawhi to lead Dallas to surprising 2-0 series lead in Los Angeles
The Dallas Mavericks took Game 2 over the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday night thanks to another sensational performance from Luka Doncic. The third-year superstar put up 39 points on 16-of-29 shooting (5-13 from 3), to go along with seven assists and seven rebounds. Dallas as a team shot a blistering 18-34 (52.9%) from long-range, led by Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s 6-of-8 performance from 3, as he finished second on the team in scoring with 28 points.
Sheesh, Luka 🤯 pic.twitter.com/mEmVseEfpO
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 26, 2021
Luka Dončić now has 256 points, 76 rebounds and 70 assists in his first eight career postseason games.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) May 26, 2021
Per @EliasSports, Dončić is the first player in @NBA history to record 250+ points, 70+ rebounds and 70+ assists through a player’s first 8 career postseason games. pic.twitter.com/Gb1HljeLlv
Kawhi Leonard‘s 41 points, including 30 in the first half, along with Paul George‘s 28 points and 12 rebounds, weren’t enough to even the series for LA. Down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Clippers face quite the uphill battle with Games 3 and 4 set to take place in Dallas. After their implosion in last year’s bubble, the Clippers are in real danger of bowing out early in the postseason once again despite having legitimate title aspirations.
Kawhi Leonard is the first Clippers player with 30 points in a playoff half since the franchise moved to California in 1978-79. pic.twitter.com/yzDFTpTIFx
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 26, 2021
PG snatchin' ankles 😯 pic.twitter.com/fcoXJ1s7q7
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 26, 2021
Related: Stories of the Day
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS AND NOBODY HAS A BETTER DEFENSE THAN THE CHAMPS
The LA Lakers dropped Game 1 on the road, but bounced back to even the series after a hard-fought win over Phoenix. Anthony Davis had 34 points, Dennis Schroder added 24, and LeBron James had clutch buckets down the stretch to seal the victory. LA played well offensively to tie up the series, but it was really their execution on the defensive side of the ball that fueled their series-tying victory. In Game 2, the Lake Show had 15 blocks/steals while Phoenix managed only seven and had to try to orchestrate the offense with LA continuously forcing bad shots.
Coming into the postseason, LA was the first ranked team in defensive efficiency, and they’ve stayed true to that in the first two games. Phoenix came in as the eighth-best squad in points per game at 115.3 and were held to just 100.5 at home through the first two games in the series. When it comes to the Lakers, all the attention is brought to Lebron and AD’s clutch plays, specifically during crunch time, but what really gives them a chance to repeat as champions is their elite defense and ability to force bad shots and turnovers.
Frank Vogel has coordinated a defense that has mastered the art of switching. The defenders switch the players they guard on every type of screen or halt in their own progress to keep up with their current matchup. This can expose them to mismatches, but the Lakers counter that with timely double-teams in those situations and some defenders running from one side of the court to the other to cover the guy who becomes the open man. Defense is an art more than a science and the Lakers painted another masterpiece in Game 2.
COLORS KEY | FULL LAKERS OUTLOOK
Anthony Davis exercising his will down the stretch. This block recover got me good. #NBATopShotThis @nbatopshot pic.twitter.com/YTM8GKZPT7
— Austin Kent (@AustinKent) May 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/LA_HighLights24/status/1397410162386694145
https://twitter.com/LA_HighLights24/status/1397396724017029124
All-around game from @AntDavis23 to lift the @Lakers in Game 2! #NBAPlayoffs
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2021
✨ 34 PTS
✨ 10 REB
✨ 7 AST
✨ 3 BLK
Game 3 ⏩ Thu, 10 PM ET, TNT pic.twitter.com/AjjYWd3WJd
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
Luka with the 1-legged antics
Sheesh, Luka 🤯 pic.twitter.com/mEmVseEfpO
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 26, 2021
Related: NBA Highlights
G Luka Doncic, DAL (W @LAC): 39 PTS (16-29 FG | 5-13 3P), 7 AST, 7 REB, 1 BLK, 1 STL, 7 TO
#PlayerOfTheDay (5/25/21) - G Luka Doncic, DAL
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 26, 2021
TOP FACTS:
- Luka's 39 PTS out-dueled Kawhi's 41; DAL up 2-0
- 1st w/ 250+ PTS/70+ REB/70+ AST in 1st 8 playoff GP
- Has 38+ PTS in 50% (4/8) of his career playoff GP
KEY STATS:
39 PTS, 7 AST, 7 REB, 16-29 FG (55%), 5-13 3P (38%) https://t.co/ObwiR1eZWX
Related: Players of the Day
Dallas Mavericks (127) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (121)
[Highlights] #5 MAVERICKS (+240; $10.00) d. #4 @CLIPPERS (-287; $10.44) 127-121 [DAL +7 | o215.5] (DAL 2-0)
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
Whoever lands Julio, is getting a future first-ballot Hall of Famer
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Related: Latest PSO Posts
DATE: May 25, 2017
SIGNIFICANCE: Cavaliers F LeBron James passed Michael Jordan for the most career playoff points (5,989) in NBA history
FULL story on LeBron James passing Michael Jordan as the all-time playoff scoring King exactly 4 years ago https://t.co/Tc7IlACggq
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 25, 2021
Related: Significant Sports History
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