LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — The Mavericks knew they would face a Clippers team without Kawhi Leonard, but that didn’t change how they would approach the game.
“Kawhi is a great player, it’s a great break I guess from a competitive standpoint. With where we’re at and how we have had some real inconsistencies over the first two games, regardless who is out there we have to jump in there at full force.” Rick Carlisle said during his pregame press conference.
Dallas did just that securing their first victory in the same place they lost 2 days prior on Christmas day.
Either someone on the Mavericks staff borrowed some sage from Kyrie Irving or the Clippers just didn’t show up to play. Regardless, the Mavericks set the tone early on Sunday.
This performance was the one we’ve all been waiting for. We knew how dynamic the Mavericks could be once it got rolling on offense, but never could truly grasp how special this team could be on defense once the team began to execute at a high level.
In the first quarter against the Clippers, Dallas forced bad passes and created turnovers, the difference in this game was once they forced the turnover they converted at the other end of the floor, unlike their first two matchups. The defense played a part in setting the tone and helped the Mavericks take the lead early.
The Mavericks have struggled rebounding the basketball on both ends of the floor so far this season, especially against the Lakers on Christmas day. In the first quarter of that game the Lakers outrebounded the Mavericks 13-7. On Sunday it all changed, the Mavericks outrebounded the Clippers 19-10 and tallied 4 offensive rebounds in the first quarter after tallying none throughout the entire game against the Lakers. Dallas also stole the ball 3 times and blocked the ball 2 times helping the Mavericks surge to take a 15 point lead midway through the first quarter.
The chemistry between Luka Doncic and Josh Richardson should not be overstated, and after yesterday’s game it looks like the pair will be one of the best NBA tandems this season. The two scored the first 7 points of the game and all buckets made were assisted by Doncic or Richardson. Doncic and Richardson scored a combined 26 points and connected on 10 out of 18 shot attempts from the field. For context, the Mavericks scored 36 first quarter points meaning all but 10 points were scored by Richardson and/or Doncic in the first quarter. This was just the beginning to an efficient night from the floor.
Los Angeles struggled to score the basketball the entire first quarter. Paul George was the only Clipper to score in the first 8 minutes of the game, lodging 6 points going 3 out of 9 from the field and Ivica Zubac contributed 4 points off the bench in 5 minutes of play. The Clippers finished the quarter with a total of 13 points shooting 22% from the field and failed to knock down a shot from beyond the arc.
The second quarter for the Mavericks began just like the first, with their first basket coming off an offensive rebound by Tim Hardway Jr who converted it into points.
After not seeing great success in the first two games of the season, the “Bench Mob” got some action in the second quarter for the Mavericks and helped the team increase their substantial lead. Jalen Brunson entered the game with a certain feel and found the open man several times. Brunson scored 9 points in the second quarter and shot 80% from the field and 50% from three. Willie Cauley-Stein was the beneficiary of an alley oop pass from Brunson which really opened the game wide open for Dallas. Cauley-Stein continued to impress during his time on the floor in the second scoring 5 points while also securing 1 offensive rebound and 1 defensive rebound. James Johnson was another player who saw valuable minutes on the floor during the Mavericks surge. Johnson secured 3 defensive rebounds, 3 assists and knocked down a shot from three point land and was the initiator of the running court. The Mavericks outscored the Clippers 41-14 in the second quarter and the Mavericks bench also outscored the Clippers bench 20-5 accounting for half of the points scored in the second quarter.
Dallas entered halftime leading the game by 50 points which was the largest halftime deficit in Clippers franchise history, and the Mavericks ended the first half shooting 58% from the field and 45% from three. Recording season highs for the night. This was the first time this season the Mavericks have led at half and shot over 50% from the field.
In the NBA no lead is safe even if it is a 50 burger by half. The Mavericks entered the third quarter with the same intensity and tenacity that helped them build their lead. No one should question if this team has second gear. This team is deep and multifaceted.
The primary scorer for the Mavericks in the third quarter was Tim Hardaway Jr who scored 11 points and knocked down 4 out of 6 shots from the field and hit 3 out of 5 shots from beyond the arc. Luka Doncic and Josh Richardson continued their efficient night as well and scored a combined 12 points and Doncic tallied another 4 assists as well.
The Clippers played much better in the third quarter. Serge Ibaka was the catalyst for the team scoring 8 points and went 4 out of 5 from the floor while securing 2 defensive rebounds. The Clippers would go on to outscore the Mavericks in the third quarter 30-27, but Dallas maintained their hefty lead heading into the fourth.
The Mavericks starting lineup didn’t see much time on the floor in the fourth quarter as Rick Carlisle opted to allow his young players to get some experience in a game that was all but over. Willie Cauley-Stein added 4 more points to his stat line closing in on a double-double performance, and Wes Iwundu scored 6 points hitting 50% of his shots from the field. Boban Marjonivic scored 4 points and secured 5 rebounds and Josh Green scored 4 points as well.
The Mavericks won this game in stunning fashion despite the Clippers being Kawhi-less in their first season matchup. The story isn’t about Leonard missing this game, the story is how well the Mavericks played against a team who entered the game 2-0 and scored over 115 points in their first two games. Handing a team their worst loss in franchise history is no small measure. The Mavericks played a well rounded game and gained much needed momentum heading back to Dallas to host their first home game of the new season against the Charlotte Hornets.
Now that the road trip is over, the Mavericks have the chance to reset for a day, and can set their sights on getting back to .500.
