No Kawhi Leonard, no problem.

The Los Angeles Clippers didn't have their star forward for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, but they still cruised to a 109-97 victory over Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.

James Harden spearheaded the effort with 28 points and eight assists behind 6-of-11 shooting from deep, while Ivica Zubac dominated down low with 20 points and 15 boards. Paul George also scored 22, which was more than enough to counter a double-double from Dončić (33 points, 13 rebounds and six assists) and 31 points from Kyrie Irving.

While it was a balanced effort, Harden drew much of the love from social media:

The Mavericks had a golden opportunity to steal a game on the road when Leonard was ruled out with knee inflammation, but the Clippers had other ideas. They wasted no time setting the tone and jumped out to a commanding 56-30 lead at halftime.

There was plenty to like on the offensive side with Zubac overpowering the Dallas frontcourt and Russell Westbrook making plays in transition and throwing down an alley-oop from Harden, who dictated the tempo as the primary ball-handler and outside shooting threat.

But it was the defense that stood out the most as Los Angeles seized control.

The perimeter defenders hounded outside looks from Dončić and Irving as they combined to go 1-of-10 from deep in the first half. Zubac controlled the glass, Westbrook forced turnovers and even Harden, who has never been known for his defense, swatted multiple shots.

It was inevitable that Dončić and Irving would play better on the offensive end, and the duo did just that in the third quarter. In fact, Irving scored 20 points by himself in the third with a combination of three-pointers and dazzling plays in the lane.

Still, Dallas trimmed an entire three points off the deficit heading to the fourth because it couldn't string together any meaningful defensive stops. Zubac led the way for extended stretches, Westbrook continued to anchor the second unit and Harden didn't have to carry as much of the scoring load after intermission with so many others contributing.

The final outcome was never truly in doubt even with Dončić and Irving getting their points, and Harden fittingly hit the three-pointer in the final minutes that essentially put it away. If he can turn in a repeat performance at home in Tuesday's Game 2, the Clippers can jump out to a 2-0 lead.