On Thursday, the Clippers went into Dallas and fell 112-105 to the Mavericks. Luka Doncic scored 51 points in Dallas’ win as the Clippers dropped their third game in a row. Continue reading for the Clippers Mavericks recap.
SUMMARY
Thursday’s start to Clippers-Mavs felt eerily similar to those of prior postseasons. Luka Doncic found his matchup (usually Ivica Zubac) and began operating. Doncic poured in seven 3-pointers and 28 first-quarter points before making his way to the bench at the quarter’s end. But the Clippers stayed in it. An assortment of Marcus Morris Sr. jump shots and Ivica Zubac finishes in the paint, amongst other contributions, made way for the Clippers to trail by just eight points going into the second quarter.
Terance Mann led the Clippers’ bench in the early-going of the second frame as Luka rested. Yet, some missed opportunities on the offensive end from Amir Coffey and Isaiah Hartenstein left the Clips unable to cut into the Dallas lead. All starters returned and the Mavericks’ lead eventually grew to as many as 12 points before Reggie Jackson and Morris put the ball in the basket. Dallas took a 59-50 lead into the break.
Dallas came out of the half shooting 7/7, building their lead to as many as 17 points. This time, it was a collective effort from the Dallas starters — Dwight Powell finished in the paint, Reggie Bullock splashed from three, and Jalen Brunson found the midrange in addition to Doncic’s production. The Mavs’ momentum was altered a bit by the whistle. After getting to the bonus, the Clippers began chipping away at the deficit. Norman Powell and Nic Batum forced their way to the paint time after time and found success at the rim, eventually finding themselves down 89-81 at the end of three.
Powell’s offensive explosion spilled into the fourth quarter as a three from the top of the key helped cut further into the lead. But he limped off into the locker room moments later after a foot issue. It didn’t break the Clippers’ rhythm too drastically, though. L.A.’s small-ball lineup cranked up the defense and was able to pull it to within three points. But turnovers and empty Clippers offensive possessions led to a 7-0 Mavericks run to boost the Dallas lead back to 10. Dallas fended off every comeback attempt from a group of Clipper scorers and held off just enough over the final minutes to score a 112-105 victory.
GAME NOTES
Powell’s Foul Trouble: This marked the third game of Norman Powell’s tenure and the third game in which he’s had early foul trouble. The team really can’t afford to lose out on Powell’s offensive productivity on this version of the Clippers. His scoring obviously is missed when he’s not on the court, but his ability to touch the paint and find open players is a thing that he had going for him against Dallas as well. Hopefully, this is a trend that fades in the coming games.
Rotations: The trade deadline passed and the Clippers retained all of their wings and forwards. As a result, the minutes’ distribution is still funky. Robert Covington saw just five minutes of action before re-entering the game with only 23 seconds left in the third quarter. He finished with 10 total minutes. Amir Coffey also played just 14 minutes despite having a very good fourth-quarter stint.
Ty Lue also, predictably, went small in the second half. Hartenstein was left out of the rotation as Covington, Morris, and Batum took turns playing the 5. But the Clippers went incredibly small down the stretch of the fourth quarter with a lineup of Mann, Powell, Kennard, Jackson, and Morris. The five couldn’t secure defensive rebounds during important parts of the fourth quarter, ultimately hurting them. It will be tough for Ty to balance the rotations with so many guys that deserve minutes.
