Mavericks pull off 113-103 upset vs. Clippers thanks to Luka Doncic triple-double

The Dallas Mavericks pulled off the first upset of the 2021 NBA Playoffs by knocking off the Los Angeles Clippers 113-103 on Saturday. Dallas is looking for revenge after being bumped from last year’s playoffs by Los Angeles, and Luka Doncic led the team to victory with a spectacular, all-around performance.

Doncic has only played in seven playoff games and notched the third triple-double of his postseason career on Saturday. He scored a game-high 31 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Doncic tallied 69.5 DKFP. Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Clippers with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. He finished with 56 DKFP.

Bettors whiffed on this game. The public placed 80% of the handle for moneyline wagers on the favored Clippers (-233) instead of the Mavericks (+188). The masses expected Dallas to cover the spread as 5.5-point underdogs, though. Bettors placed 69% of their money on the Mavericks covering. While 77% of the tickets were placed on the point total over of 218.5, the game fell just short of expectations.

Whether the Mavericks can keep things up remains to be seen, but they’ll likely be underdogs again for Game 2 on Tuesday.