The Clippers Toppled The Mavericks In A Potential First Round Preview

Though neither side was at full strength due to the absences of Montrezl Harrell, Patrick Beverley and Seth Curry, Thursday’s matchup between the L.A. Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks likely qualified as a playoff preview. After all, the Clippers and Mavericks are widely projected to occupy the No. 2 and No. 7 spots in the Western Conference, respectively, pitting the two teams against each other later this month. If a postseason series is in the offing, Thursday’s tilt provided optimism for entertainment value, and the Clippers secured the victory by a final score of 126-111.

For the most part, the first quarter was sluggish, especially when compared to the offensive baselines of the two teams involved. The Mavericks and Clippers rank as two of the top three offenses in the NBA this season, but neither scored even one point per possession and both struggled to maintain efficiency.

There were a few highlights, though, including a big-time dunk from Kristaps Porzingis over Ivica Zubac.

Both Kawhi Leonard and Luka Doncic got off to slow starts, but that didn’t last. Doncic connected on a step-back three late in the second quarter, before finding Porzingis for a dunk that prompted all kinds of celebration.

Almost immediately, Leonard retaliated by scoring 12 points in the second quarter to lead the Clippers to a one-point halftime lead.

The Clippers continued their upward trajectory to begin the third quarter, spurting to an 11-2 run to take a double-digit lead. While Leonard and George were crucial, Ivica Zubac also made a tremendous impact, posting a double-double by the middle of the third quarter.

Eventually, L.A. built a 12-point edge but, to their credit, the Mavericks battled back. By the end of third period, Dallas slashed the margin to four points and, with 6:41 left, Maxi Kleber connected on a three-pointer to tie the game. Unfortunately for the underdogs, though, the Clippers threw a counterpunch.

The Clippers scored the next nine points, with a timeout from Dallas in the middle of the run with the game teetering.

With L.A. leading by ten points with three minutes remaining, Doncic did connect on a deep three-pointer to pose something of a threat. Still, that was too little, too late, as George answered with a three-pointer of his own to put things on ice.

Predictably, Leonard (29 points, six rebounds, five assists) and George (24 points, seven rebounds, six assists) were tremendous for the Clippers. With that said, Zubac’s performance was potentially enlightening for L.A. in this matchup. The starting center didn’t miss a shot, converting all ten attempts, and he finished the night with 21 points and 15 rebounds in 24 minutes. Beyond that, Dallas started Bojan Marjanovic but, after six minutes, he never returned, and Dallas leaned heavily on Trey Burke in a smaller lineup.

Overall, it isn’t terribly surprising to see the Clippers outlast the Mavericks, even in a game that didn’t mean all that much for either team in the grand scheme. In the sense of a playoff preview, however, there were things to take away and, if L.A. gets the kind of performance from Zubac they did on Thursday, they will be difficult to beat.