The LA Clippers will travel to Dallas, Texas tonight to take on former Clipper big DeAndre Jordan and the surging Mavericks.
The LA Clippers will face another challenge tonight on the road, traveling to Dallas, Texas to take on DeAndre Jordan and the red-hot Dallas Mavericks.
Despite their 10-10 record, the Mavericks have been playing excellent basketball as of late. Jordan’s new team has won seven of their last 10, with two of their three losses coming against current playoff teams in the Grizzlies and Lakers, and has an 8-2 record on their home floor.
Jordan, the longest-tenured player in LA Clippers franchise history, has kept up his consistent play so far this season. He’s averaging 11.3 points and 13.2 rebounds in just under 32 minutes per game. He hasn’t been as efficient from the floor, connecting on a near-career-low 63.3 percent of his attempts, but he’s brought his free throw percentage up to a career-high 77.1.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Clippers choose to defend Jordan. Marcin Gortat may not be skilled enough on either end to keep up with him, so Montrezl Harrell may be the better option. Harrell gives up a considerable amount of height to Jordan, but Trezz has rarely let that become an issue.
Jordan isn’t the only thing working well for Dallas, though. 19-year-old sensation Luka Doncic has arguably been the best rookie of the young season, averaging 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. He’s listed as questionable tonight due to a hip injury, but the expectation is that he plays. Danilo Gallinari should spend a majority of his time matched up with the young star.
Los Angeles, on the other hand, is the hottest team in the NBA. Winners of nine of its last 10, the Clippers have been winning games on both sides of the ball. LA is scoring the third-most points per game this season, and despite their 14th-ranked defensive rating, the roster is headlined by elite defenders in Patrick Beverley and Avery Bradley.
Like Dallas, the Clippers have their own rookie phenom in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Averaging 10.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, Gilgeous-Alexander is already a special two-way talent that is very capable of stuffing the stat sheet. He’s recorded at least one block and one steal in 10 of his 21 games this season.
The difference here may come down to the bench, which gives LA a notable advantage. Although the Mavericks bench ranks fourth in bench points per game, they still give up over 16 points to the top-ranked Clippers.
Assuming the second unit puts forth a consistent effort, they’ll put the Clippers up by a significant margin and guide LA to its fifth-straight win.
The LA Clippers will meet the Dallas Mavericks on the road tonight at 4:00 PM PST.