Mavericks unsung defensive star reveals plan to contain Paul George, Clippers’ 3-point attack

Kyrie Irving, who led Dallas with 40 points, gave the Mavericks a 105-104 lead with 2:14 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks had momentum and the Clippers were forced to call a timeout.

The energy was great at the American Airlines Center, and it seemed as if Dallas was on the verge of earning a huge Game 5 win. Paul George had another idea in mind, though.

George immediately found the bottom of the net on an incredibly difficult three-point attempt from the corner. Jones played terrific defense on George, yet the future Hall-of-Famer still connected on the shot. The Clippers did not look back following George’s shot.

Jones was asked about the play following the game.

“(George) got the ball in the corner, I tried to jam him in the corner so they couldn’t get up,” Jones said. “Made a move, step back right back to the corner… He just hit a good shot. It’s a tough shot. Ain’t much to say about it.”

When asked if he was surprised it went in, Jones got brutally honest.

“Hell yeah I’m surprised. I played good defense… He hit a tough shot. Got to tip your hat, going to see him back in LA.”

Jones’ impact on Mavs

Overall, Jones still performed well. He finished Game 4 with a plus-minus of seven across 33 minutes of action.

“Derrick was great,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s been great. Being able to knock down threes, being able to drive the ball, being able to get to the rim, making plays. And then defensively we’ve asked him to guard everybody. He’s doing that… We’re going to need that throughout this series and we’re going to need that on Wednesday.”

Jones has high expectations for himself. He believes he could have been better on the defensive end of the floor in Game 4.

“I did okay, could have been better defensively,” Jones said. “Probably could have created a few more open looks for my teammates. My main thing was on the defensive end I think I could have been a lot better.”

Nevertheless, there is no denying the fact that Derrick Jones Jr. has been and will continue to be an important player for this Mavericks team in the NBA playoffs.