NBA Playoffs: Luka Doncic leads the Mavericks to a 3-2 victory with a stunning win over the Clippers

Many factors played a role in the Dallas Mavericks' 123-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, but the night boiled down to this:

In a crucial Game 5, still missing Kawhi Leonard, the three Clippers All-Stars tasked with driving the offense fell flat and fell flat while Dončić and the rest of the Mavericks reclaimed the series lead and had the chance to end the game in Game 6 in Dallas on Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN).

If a team wins Game 5 of a series that was previously tied 2-2, they advance 81.7% of the time.

Dončić was the best player on the field despite struggling with a right knee sprain and upper respiratory illness in Game 3. He admitted before the game that he probably wouldn't have played in a regular season game in his condition, and instead made the Clippers look sick:

Maxi Kleber had a resurgent evening, shooting 5 of 7 from 3-point range for 15 points. Kyrie Irving also had his moments, including the lob for an extremely loud alley-oop:

The game was closely contested early on, with the teams changing the lead twelve times in the first quarter. The Mavericks built a small lead in the second quarter and extended it to double digits with a quick run late in the second quarter.

However, it was the third quarter where the game was truly lost for Los Angeles. The Clippers made just one field goal in the first seven minutes as the Mavericks' offense kept pace, putting the game out of reach. The backups were there midway through the fourth quarter.

The 30-point lead was the largest loss in the Clippers' playoff history.

It may be unfair to point to a single play as evidence that a team simply didn't have the fight it needed, but there was a particularly tough play on the third play when Kyrie Irving stole a bad pass from George. The result was a two-on-one fast break for Irving and Dončić against Westbrook. Some tough defense from Westbrook put paid to the game, but unfortunately Westbrook was the only Clipper who bothered to run back.

Then came Derrick Jones Jr.:

It's a familiar situation for the Clippers, as they fell behind in a series where they seemed to have a chance despite missing the player they had staked their contender status on. They won both games Leonard missed early in the series, but Game 5 showed how difficult it will be to come back in Games 6 and 7.

When the Mavericks wrap up the series on Friday, Game 5 will be the Clippers' final game at Crypto.com Arena before heading east to the opulent Intuit Dome next season. It wouldn't be a graceful exit.