Dallas Mavericks talisman Luka Doncic is more known for his offensive skills rather than his defensive game. However, the Slovenian has been at his best on the other side of the court. The Mavericks registered a 96-93 win against the LA Clippers in the second game of the first-round playoffs to level the scores.

Doncic finished with 32 points and 9 assists but more importantly, he led his team in defense. The Clippers could only shoot 36.8% from the floor, their lowest field goal percentage of the season, and Doncic played a key role in keeping the opposition at bay.

“I think his defense has been great this whole series,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “We know they’re going to put him in pick-and-roll. A couple years ago we saw this, and we had to tell him to participate. But I think he’s participating at a high level on both ends. He’s leading not just on the offensive end but also the defensive end.”

According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Clippers shot only 2-of-17 from the floor when Doncic was the main defender. LA could not take all 11 shots that Doncic contested.

“I accept it,” Doncic said regarding the challenge of the Clippers’ strategy of attempting to attack him as often as possible. “It gets me going on defensive end, too. That’s fine. I think I played good defense today. I’ve just got to stay locked in.”

Mavs center/power forward Maxi Kleber showered praise on Doncic for his fine performance.

“When he gets his stops like this and pushes it, it’s even more fun for us because we already know what he does on offense,” said Mavs center/power forward Maxi Kleber.

“It spreads to everybody else. He’s bringing the energy and he’s going to set the tone for us. And when he does stuff like that, it gives everybody juice.”

The third match of the series will be played on Friday.