The Dallas Mavericks edged the Los Angeles Clippers 105-100 in Game 5 of the series at Staples Center on Wednesday, taking a 3-2 lead and sitting one win away from the Western Conference semifinals.

Luka Doncic, who was struggling in Game 4 because of a neck problem, embodied the "hero that returns" in Game 5, dropping 42 points, eight rebounds and 14 assists. The Clippers used an eight-player rotation in this game and each of them faced Doncic at least once – but none of them could stop him.

The Clippers' straight wins in Game 3 and Game 4 were built on starting small. Though it's an undersized five-out lineup with excellent spacing, the Clippers were able to charge the rim hard and work on the offensive glass with athleticism and quickness.

Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle gave his response in Game 5 – putting both Boban Marjanovic (2.24 meters tall) and Kristaps Porzingis (2.21 meters tall) in the starting squad and sitting Norman Powell and Maxi Kleber on the bench unit. His intention was clear: maximizing and maintaining the Mavericks' size advantage to fill in the paint.

The post-game stats do not tell the whole story. The Clippers led in total rebounds (47-45), trailed by only one in offensive rebounds (11-10) and scored two more points than the Mavericks under the rim (38-36). Moreover, sending such a huge squad to the court meant the Mavericks had no choice but to allow some open 3-pointers.

Nonetheless, the Clippers were only 14-38 from downtown, unacceptable in both efficiency and production. It also meant the whole team were not in their best shooting form on Wednesday. Players usually try working more inside as a remedy, but the Mavericks ruled that option out for the Clippers by keeping at least two big men on the court at all times.

Meanwhile, though the Mavericks did not grab too many offensive rebounds, their big guys made the Clippers work harder to protect every rebound, thus missing the opportunity to launch early offense, which was supposed to be another effective solution against the big-ball lineup.

Of course, it's always the franchise players who carry the key to victory, especially in the postseason. Doncic was on fire from the beginning, going 7-11 from the field and 5-6 from deep to score 19 points and deliver four assists in the first quarter. When he had exuberant strength in the first three quarters, limiting Doncic was basically mission impossible. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said they needed to wear Doncic down. They finally did it after watching him put down 40 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists in the first three quarters. The Clippers already trailed 89-75 by then.

Who did the Clippers go to while playing catch-up in the final quarter? The first choice was Kawhi Leonard, but he only took three attempts and missed two of them. The second choice was Paul George, who seemed to have done a qualified job by scoring 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks. However, George also committed three turnovers in Q4. Two of them happened within 40 seconds in the last four minutes and led to two shots being made by the Mavericks from downtown.

Bleacher Report's insider Farbod Esnaashari revealed an interesting fact after Wednesday's game: The Clippers have not achieved even one playoff win at home since April 18, 2017. The Mavericks' last home win in the postseason took place on April 26, 2015.

Game 6 will be at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday. If there is a Game 7, it will return to Staples Center. Therefore, the side that claims their first home win in four (six) years will win this series.

Washington Wizards 112-129 Philadelphia 76ers (1-4)

Joel Embiid of the 76ers sat this game out after being diagnosed with a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee. He will receive physical therapy instead of surgery and is currently listed as day to day.

That did not hold the 76ers back at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday. Seth Curry took over the scoring duties, going 10-17 in field goals to post a team-high 30 points. Tobias Harris had 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Their efforts plus Ben Simmons' triple-double of 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists ensured that the 76ers were in control the entire game before pocketing the final win to end the series.

Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal finished their first season working together in dramatic fashion. Beal came close to winning the scoring title; Westbrook had the fourth triple-double season in his career and surpassed Oscar Robertson in total triple-doubles; the Wizards overcame the huge trail in the regular season, went through the two-game play-in tournament and reached the post season.

It's not a total loss for any of them.

Atlanta Hawks 103-89 New York Knicks (4-1)

Madison Square Garden has not had a public enemy No. 1 since Reggie Miller, partly because the New York Knicks had been a big disappointment for most of the time. The arrival of Tom Thibodeau, the rise of Julius Randle and the joining of Derrick Rose brought the team out of the pit this season.

Then Trae Young of the Hawks made himself the new villain at MSG by averaging 29.2 points and 9.8 assists to lead the Hawks over the Knicks 4-1 in the first-round series.

Young shushed the whole MSG after making a 0.9-second game-winning floater in Game 1; he was spit on and given the middle finger by Knicks fans; after making a triple in Game 5, Young even took a bow on the court.

"Leading up to this game, I know where we are. I know it's a bunch of shows around this city. And I know what they do when the show is over, so that's pretty much what it was," said Young after Wednesday's game.

All of Young's behavior and speeches come from his dominating performance in the series – he became the second visiting player with three straight 30-point postseason games at MSG after Michael Jordan.

Apparently not every Knicks player is a sore loser. Rose gave his signed jersey to Young after Game 5. In response, Young posted on Twitter: "It was an honor!"

Rose, 32, averaged 19.4 points, four rebounds and five assists for the Knicks in the series. Unfortunately, he had to carry an inexperienced team in his best season in three years. The former youngest NBA MVP deserves better.

Memphis Grizzlies 110-126 Utah Jazz (1-4)

Like the Hawks and the 76ers, who ended their series on Wednesday, the Jazz had no interest in dawdling with the Grizzlies anymore. Led by Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz turned on their full firepower in the first quarter, going 9-15 from beyond the arc to lead 47-27. Though Mike Conley left the court after playing 11 minutes because of a hamstring injury, Mitchell dropped 28 points and eight assists in the first three quarters for the Jazz, turning the game into a foregone conclusion before Q4.

Mitchell missed Game 1 but led the team in scoring in each of the following four games he returned to play. The Jazz became the first team in the West to reach the conference semifinals and they will meet the winner of the Mavericks-Clippers series.

Despite the Grizzlies being eliminated, Ja Morant's first playoff trip was filled with shining surprises. The 21-year-old averaged 30.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. He's the reason why the team could pass the play-in tournament and compete with the league No. 1 Jazz for five games.

The young guard from Murray State University is the Grizzlies' key to rejuvenation.