Even before they began their Western Conference first-round series, the Dallas Mavericks were a long shot to get past the Los Angeles Clippers.
Injuries and ejections early in the best-of-seven series made the road even more difficult, but the Mavericks have overcome those obstacles to twice even the series heading into Game 5 on Tuesday night near Orlando.
Despite playing on a tender left ankle, Dallas forward Luka Doncic put the Mavericks on his shoulders in Game 4 on Sunday and lifted them to victory against second-seeded Los Angeles. He led them back from a 21-point first-half deficit and later hit the game-winning 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer in the 135-133 victory.