Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks have the Los Angeles Clippers on the brink and take their first shot at closing out their first-round NBA playoffs series Friday night on their home floor. Tip time is slated for 9:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. CT from the Mavs’ American Airlines Arena.

How to watch Mavericks-Clippers:
TV channel: ESPN. Live streams with free trials: FuboTV and DirecTV Stream. Other streaming offers: Sling TV (as low as $20 first month).

Must-see TV: We’ll touch on superstar Luka Doncic, the best player in this series, in a second. His name and numbers speak for themselves, but it’s worth noting that Doncic is trying to advance in the NBA Playoffs with an elite sidekick in Kyrie Irving, who scored 40 points in a Game 4 loss. If those two find a rhythm and operate at their highest levels, the Mavs are a dangerous out, even if/when they advance to face the West’s best teams. 

Game 5 in review: Banged up or not, Doncic bounced back with a big Game 5 to help push Dallas into the driver’s seat with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder awaiting the winner in next week’s Western Conference semifinals. Playing with a bulky wrap on his right knee, Doncic hit 14 of 26 shots on his way to 35 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists in the Mavs’ 123-93 victory.

Clippers’ winning formula: What do James Harden and company need to tie the series at 3-3 and force a Game 7? Agitating and forcing Doncic to work on his injured knee would be a good start. In all likelihood, this version of the Clippers needs big efforts from Paul George AND James Harden to win on the road.

Next up: If the Clippers win Friday night in Dallas, the series will move back to Los Angeles for a Game 7 on Sunday (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT). If the Mavs win, they take the best-of-seven series 4-2 and face Oklahoma City on the road in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal round.