Is Luka Doncic A Legitimate Top 5 Player? Will LA Choke Again? Answers Tonight In Clippers-Mavericks Game 6

The Los Angeles Clippers travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks in a game six that holds a momentous amount of power in dictating the direction of these teams, possibly beyond this season.

How To Watch: Game six will be broadcasted on ESPN, which is owned by Walt Disney Co DIS. Tip-off is at 9 p.m. ET and will be played at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

The game can also be streamed on fuboTV FUBO with a subscription.

If The Clippers Lose, Will Kawhi Leonard Leave? Where Would The Clippers Go From There?

This game represents much more than just keeping their season alive and forcing a game seven -- it could decide if Kawhi Leonard thinksthe Clippers can actually be competitive in the future. Los Angeles choked last year in the playoffs, blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Denver Nuggets. They saw the inefficiencies in their team and went out and made some huge signings, such as Luke Kennard and Serge Ibaka to massive four-year contracts.

The Clippers mortgaged their future last season with a mega trade for Paul George, sending multiple first-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder with the expectation they would be competitive. They came up short last year and are in danger of having this occur again.

That leads us to the Clippers’ future, but more specifically Kawhi’s future. He has a player option that allows him to opt out of his contract at the end of the season and become a free agent. There are lots of big market teams that will have cap space or the flexibility for a sign and trade such as the Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors.

If the Clippers lose tonight, they might lose Kawhi and be stuck without a future as they have no picks and George is a free agent in 2022. This is a must-win game for the Clippers to prove to Kawhi they can be competitive and to force a game seven that can help them advance to the second round.

Is It Too Early To Call Luka Doncic A Top 5 Player?

Luka Doncic had a phenomenal regular season, putting up 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists a game, resulting in being named an All-Star game starter. He has stepped up his game in the playoffs, averaging 35-8-9.5 through five games. He's already a superstar, but is he actually a top-five player in the NBA?

Doncic’s numbers haven’t just been good, they have been historic. He broke the record in game five for the highest percentage of field goals scored or assisted on in the playoffs (83.8%). He set the record for most 40-point playoff games before a player’s 23rd birthday with four of them in 11 playoff games. He has led a Mavericks team to upset wins in Los Angeles and on the verge of a second-round appearance.

If Luka and the Mavs are able to put away the Clippers tonight, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to call him a top-five player.

Betting Odds Courtesy Of DraftKings DKNG

Where The Public Is Betting

Photo credit: Javier Mendia García, Flickr