Home-court advantage belongs to the Dallas Mavericks.

Luka Dončić led his team to a 96-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. He ensured his team earned a split during the first two contests on the road with 32 points, nine assists and six rebounds as the biggest star in a defensive battle.

The five-time All-Star assisted on a Maxi Kleber three-pointer and drilled a step-back triple of his own as Dallas seized control in crunch time.

While Kyrie Irving (23 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals) and P.J. Washington (18 points and six rebounds) provided support, it was Dončić who earned much of the love from social media:

The biggest news before the contest was the return of Kawhi Leonard after he missed Game 1 with knee inflammation. It was his first game since March 31, and he looked rusty at times on the way to 7-of-17 shooting from the field.

He was far from the only member of the Clippers to struggle on the offensive side, as the home team shot 36.8 percent from the floor and 26.7 percent from deep in an ugly performance. James Harden and Paul George led the team in scoring with 22 points each, but it wasn't enough to counter Dončić on the other end.

There were moments when the star power broke through, as Irving drilled multiple triples, found Washington with a behind-the-back pass and even dunked in transition for Dallas during an impressive third-quarter spurt.

But the Clippers still took a one-point lead into the fourth because a frustrated Dončić picked up a technical in the final second when arguing that he was fouled on a layup.

Perhaps some of the frustration stemmed from the physical, defensive-first game that unfolded, but it gave Los Angeles some of the momentum heading into the closing stretch of a contest that was largely defined by ugly stretches of offensive basketball for both teams.

That momentum was short-lived.

Dallas turned a six-point deficit into an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter with a 14-0 run that featured threes from Dončić, Irving and Washington. Dončić also impressed on the defensive side during the stretch, which was all the more notable because he is not known for his play on that end.

He will look to replicate that effort when the series shifts to Dallas for Friday's Game 3.