The LA Clippers know the Dallas Mavericks very well.
After playing and beating them in the first round of the NBA Playoffs last year, the LA Clippers also played three games against the Mavericks in the regular season this year.
The Clippers won one of those three games.
The first one in particular didn’t go the Clippers’ way. They ended up dropping that game 124-73.
One of the reasons LA had a tough time in that game was due to how they shot the basketball. They shot just 34.2% from the field, along with a rough 12.1% from three.
Another spot where they fell short was in rebounding. The Clippers were out-rebounded 36-54.
This game wasn’t as bad as it may seem, however, when considering that Kawhi Leonard didn’t play. Not only that, but Paul George didn’t play in the second half. The Mavericks didn’t play a full squad either, sitting big man Kristaps Porzingis, but it’s still not the best game to judge the Clippers by.
Mavericks starting guard Luka Doncic almost had a triple-double (24 points/8 assists/9 rebounds) in just 26 minutes, proving how great of a player he is. Tim Hardaway Jr. tipped in with 18, and Josh Richardson had 21 points.
The Clippers surely learned a bit more about the Mavs that day, but it isn’t any reason to be scared of a team. Again, no Kawhi Leonard in that game, and Paul George only played 24 minutes in the contest. There’s no need to sweat that game.
It was a different story the next time the Clippers played the Mavericks. The Clips took that game 109-99.
Something to keep in mind for that game is that Paul George didn’t even play his best ball. He shot just 5-18, scoring just 15 points. If the Clippers can handle the Mavericks with George not even at his best, they’re in good shape.
Luka Doncic of course did his thing, putting up a triple-double on 25 points, 16 assists, and 10 rebounds. But, Luka’s almost always going to perform. What was impressive for the Clips, was how they kept three out of the five starters for Dallas at 8 points or less.
Hardaway had a sweet 21 off the bench, shooting 8-12 from the field and 5-9 from three, so he is a potential key player the Clippers certainly need to gameplan for. The Clippers locked down a high majority of the roster though, and that’s plenty encouraging.
In the third and final game against the Mavericks this year, Doncic kind of took over. He dropped 42 on the Clips, and almost had a double-double with nine assists. Hardaway shot the ball well again, shooting 6-12, and 3-7 behind the three-point arc.
Paul George looked great, putting up 28 while shooting 10-20 from the field and 5-8 from three. An issue for the Clippers was their bench help.
The bench scored a total of 11 points. That can’t happen against a good team like the Mavericks in the playoffs, but I like what I’ve been seeing a lot from the bench lately.
The Clippers seemed to have some trouble containing Luka Doncic, and Tim Hardaway Jr. played good basketball in all three games too.
They’ll need to lock down on their defensive assignments against them two, box out Kristaps Porzingis and crash the boards in general, and just play Clippers basketball.
They’re a better team than the Mavs, and they’re far more talented top-to-bottom.
The Mavs may have had some regular season success vs. the Clippers, but the Clippers are absolutely ready to take on the Mavericks in the postseason when it counts and take care of them. They put them away last season, and they’ll put them away again.