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On Wednesday, the Dallas Mavericks played the Los Angeles Clippers on St. Patrick’s Day at the American Airlines Center to determine the winner of the season series. The winner of this game gets the tiebreaker in case these two teams end up with their records tied, that would be beneficial in terms of seeding in the western conference. The Mavericks will need to have all the luck on their side as they try to clinch the season series against the Clippers.

On Monday, the Dallas Mavericks played the Los Angeles Clippers in the first game of a two-game series at the American Airlines Center. The Clippers got off to a quick and hot start and were able to take a 55-50 halftime lead. The Mavericks were able to build some type of rally but it wasn’t enough as the Clippers were able to escape for a 109-99 win. With the loss, the Mavericks record dropped to 20-18 on the season and the season series against the Clippers is tied 1-1. Luka Doncic provided his ninth triple-double this season for the Mavericks, finishing with 25 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds but it wasn’t enough for a win. Kristaps Porzingis added 22 points as this game didn’t go the Mavericks way.

The Los Angeles Clippers are coming into this game by going 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are recently coming off a 109-99 win against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday to see their record improve to 26-15 on the season. The Clippers are coming into this season with big hopes of trying to make another run at reaching the conference finals. The Clippers are currently struggling that resulted in some costly wins that they needed to have. This team is led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as they look to make another crack at it in the playoffs. If their struggles continue, they may need to make some serious changes to their roster to keep their dreams of reaching the conference finals and NBA finals alive.

Coming into this game, the Mavericks lost their last meeting with the Clippers 109-99 on Monday. The Mavericks previously gotten swept on their regular season series last season 0-4 against the Los Angeles Clippers. This was the team that eliminated the Mavericks 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs last season in the playoff bubble. If you recall, Luka Doncic put a first round to remember against these Clippers as he averaged 31.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game, including capping off a 40-point triple-double with a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to win 135-133 in overtime. These two teams are no stranger to each other and have recently provided some rememberable performances. Overall, the Mavericks hold the all-time series with a record of 94-67.

Before this game began, the Mavericks had learned that former Mavericks player, Shawn Bradley, was struck from behind by a car while riding his bike, suffering a traumatic spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed. We are tremendously saddened by the news and we would like to send our thoughts and prayers to Shawn and their family. The Mavericks started this game by having Dorian Finney-Smith ruled out as a result of the birth of his son being born today on St. Patrick’s Day but would get Dwight Powell back after missing last game. As a result, the Mavericks went with Doncic, Richardson, Kleber, Hardaway Jr and Porzingis as their starting five in this game. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the Mavericks wore their “Hardwood Classic” green jerseys for this game in hopes of bringing some good luck. The first points in the game would belong to Marcus Morris Sr as he nailed a two pointer for the Clippers to get this game underway. The Mavericks wouldn’t get their first points until the 11:21 mark as Kristaps Porzingis drilled a three pointer to take their first lead of the game at 3-2, in almost the exact same scenario as last game. The Mavericks would reclaim the lead on free-throws by Maxi Kleber with 9:40 left in the quarter as he nailed both of them to take a 5-4 lead. Luka Doncic found Maxi Kleber on a fancy pass, as Kleber nailed the jump shot with 8:26 left in the quarter to extend their lead to 10-6. The Mavericks called a timeout with 8:14 left in the quarter as they wanted to prevent a “jump ball” situation as they kept their lead and possession at 10-6. Prior to this timeout, the Mavericks already had gotten off to a much better start than last game as they made three of their first five attempts taken thus far. Coming out of the timeout, the Mavericks turned to Maxi Kleber but couldn’t convert as he missed a three point attempt to keep the score at 10-6 with 8:07 left in the quarter. The Clippers would take the lead from the Mavericks after Marcus Morris Sr drilled a jump shot with 7:14 left in the quarter to take a 11-10 lead. The Mavericks would generate some offense on their next couple of possessions that resulted in reclaiming the lead right back after Luka Doncic nailed a jump shot with 6:12 left in the quarter, to take a 14-11 lead. The Clippers would comeback to tie the game after Paul George made the basket while being fouled thus getting a chance to complete the “three point play” with a free-throw. George would nail the “AND ONE” free-throw with 5:07 left in the quarter to tie the game at 16-16. The Clippers would go on a 7-0 run that resulted in reclaiming the lead once again after Kawhi Leonard nailed a jump shot with 4:07 left in the quarter to take a 20-16 lead. The Mavericks offense received a little bit of “bad luck” as their shots weren’t falling in the hoop. Josh Richardson would finally end the Mavericks scoring drought after he nailed a difficult jump shot with 2:55 left in the quarter, to come within 20-18 of the Clippers. In the final minutes of the quarter, the Clippers were able to maintain onto their lead as they took a 29-24 lead into the second quarter. The game leading scorer after one quarter of play would belong to Luka Doncic as he scored 11 points for the Mavericks. The Clippers were led by Paul George as he scored 6 points. The Mavericks came to play as they were able to generate some good offense in the quarter. Despite getting things going on offense, the Clippers would out score the Mavericks on “Points in the Paint” by a 14-4 margin.

The second quarter would begin by having Luka Doncic nail a two pointer for the Mavericks to get this quarter underway. The Clippers wouldn’t get their first points until the 11:27 mark as Ivica Zubac nailed a two pointer to extend their lead to 31-26. Rick Carlisle would call a timeout with 10:32 left in the quarter as a result of the Mavericks getting off to a slow start in the quarter that resulted in the Clippers taking a 35-28 lead. Prior to this timeout, the Clippers made all of their first three attempts taken thus far while the Mavericks made two of their first three attempts taken to begin the quarter thus far. Coming out of the timeout, the Mavericks turned to Luka Doncic as he was able to convert on a long three pointer with 10:13 left in the quarter to come within 35-31 of the Clippers. The Mavericks were able to come within 37-33 of the Clippers with two free-throws made by Willie Cauley-Stein with 9:07 left in the quarter. A personal 4-0 run by Tim Hardaway Jr forced the Clippers to call a timeout with 8:15 left in the quarter as the game would be tied at 37-37. Prior to this timeout, the Mavericks offense were able to generate some quality possessions to erase the Clippers lead and get this game tied. Coming out of the timeout, the Clippers turned to Kawhi Leonard as he was able to convert on a three pointer to take a 40-37 lead before Tim Hardaway Jr would answer right back with a three pointer of his own with 7:38 left in the quarter to get this game tied again at 40-40. Luka Doncic would drill his fourth three pointer of the game that resulted in the Mavericks taking a 43-40 lead with 6:58 left in the quarter. The Mavericks were able to find some good luck as their shots were starting to fall and their offense were starting to get on a roll to generate some momentum. Marcus Morris Sr would end the Clippers scoring drought by nailing a free-throw line jump shot with 5:51 left in the quarter to come within 45-42 of the Mavericks. The Mavericks would hit the 50-point mark in the game by having Luka Doncic nail a layup with 3:55 left in the quarter to extend their lead to 50-44. In the final minutes of the quarter, the Mavericks held onto their lead to take a 56-51 lead into halftime. The game leading scorer after two quarters of play would belong to Luka Doncic as he scored 22 points for the Mavericks. The Clippers were led by Paul George as he scored 14 points. The Mavericks had a tremendous quarter that would result in out scoring the Clippers 32-22. The Mavericks finished the first half by shooting 50% on 20-of-40 shooting from the field while the Clippers struggled as they shot 44.7% on 21-of-47 shooting from the field. The Mavericks would need to improve on their rebounding in the second half as they were out-rebounded 23-18 in the first half.

Coming out of the half, the Mavericks were able to get on the board first in the third quarter by having Luka Doncic nail 2-of-2 free-throws to extend their lead to 58-51 to get this quarter underway. Kawhi Leonard was able to score the first points for the Clippers as he nailed a one-handed slam dunk with 10:31 left in the quarter to come within 58-53 of the Mavericks. The Clippers would call a timeout with 9:37 left in the quarter as a result of Luka Doncic catching fire as he nailed his signature “step-back” for a three pointer to give him 29 points in game thus far. Prior to this timeout, the Mavericks were on a 7-2 run that resulted in extending their lead to 63-53. The Clippers started this quarter ice cold as they only made one of their first four attempts taken thus far. Coming out of the timeout, the Clippers turned to Kawhi Leonard but couldn’t convert as he missed a jump shot with 9:20 left in the quarter to keep the score at 63-53. The Mavericks were able to extend their lead to 13 points as a result of Tim Hardaway Jr drilling a three pointer with 9:05 left in the quarter to take a 66-53 lead. The Mavericks found themselves the perfect chance to runaway with this game as all the “bad luck” were on the Clippers as they couldn’t nail a single shot. Paul George would end the long Clippers scoring drought as he nailed a driving layup with 7:35 left in the quarter to come within 66-56 of the Mavericks. Rick Carlisle would call a timeout with 6:58 left in the quarter as a result of the Clippers mounting a comeback that saw them cut their deficit to 66-59. Rick Carlisle almost got a technical foul from the Officials as he was arguing with them for missing a potential “no call” on the Clippers. Prior to this timeout, the Clippers were on a 6-0 run to try to comeback in the game. Coming out of the timeout, the Mavericks turned to Josh Richardson but couldn’t convert as he missed a jump shot with 6:47 left in the quarter that kept the score at 66-59. Rick Carlisle would use his “Coach’s Challenge” by calling a timeout with 6:10 left in the quarter to challenge a foul call on Tim Hardaway Jr with the Mavericks leading 66-59. After the review, the Officials would stick with the original call on Tim Hardaway Jr thus costing the Mavericks a timeout and send Kawhi Leonard to the free-throw line. As a result, Kawhi Leonard would miss both of his free-throws to keep the score at 66-59 with 6:10 left in the quarter. The leprechaun said “you’re not getting the pot of gold, therefore I would force you to miss the free-throws”. The Mavericks would reach the 70-point mark in the game on a Luka Doncic floating jump shot with 4:16 left in the quarter to extend their lead to 70-61. The Mavericks would extend their lead to double-digits as a result of Kristaps Porzingis nailing a jump shot with 2:45 left in the quarter to extend their lead to 75-63. In the final minutes of the quarter, the Mavericks held onto their lead as they were able to take a 77-71 lead into the fourth quarter. The game leading scorer after three quarters of play would belong to Luka Doncic as he scored 31 points for the Mavericks. The Clippers were led by Paul George as he scored 22 points. Through three quarters of play, the Mavericks were shooting 46.7% on 28-of-60 shooting from the field while the Clippers were shooting 42.6% on 29-of-68 shooting from the field. It would all come down to the fourth quarter as whoever wins the quarter, wins the game and most importantly, clinches the crucial season series.

The fourth quarter would begin by having Luka Doncic finding (while falling down) a wide open Jalen Brunson as he drilled a three pointer for the Mavericks to get this quarter underway. The Clippers weren’t able to get their first points until the 8:52 mark by having Kawhi Leonard drive to the basket for a one-handed slam dunk to come within 82-73 of the Mavericks. The Clippers would call a timeout with 7:33 left in the game as Luka Doncic was having the game of his life, that saw him drill a three pointer to give him 36 points in the game thus far and a 87-75 Mavericks lead. Prior to this timeout, the Mavericks were on a 10-4 scoring run as the momentum was all on the Mavericks side. The Clippers started the quarter cold as they only made two of their first eight attempts taken thus far. Coming out of the timeout, the Clippers turned to Ivica Zubac as he was able to convert on a slam dunk with 7:20 left in the game to come within 87-77 of the Mavericks. The Clippers would simply have no answer for Luka Doncic as he continued to nail “step-backs” all game long, this time with 5:41 left in the game to extend the Mavericks lead to 91-79. Rick Carlisle would call a timeout with 5:14 left in the game to give the Mavericks a breather as he wants the Mavericks to have enough energy to close this game out. Prior to this timeout, the Clippers were on a quick 4-2 run to make it a 10-point game with the Mavericks leading 91-81. The Mavericks would need to play outstanding defense for the reminder of the game if they want to leave the American Airlines Center with a win. Coming out of the timeout, the Mavericks turned to Maxi Kleber as he was able to convert on a three pointer to extend their lead to 94-81 with 4:58 left in the game, you better CALL HIM at “972-KLEBER”. The Clippers were doing anything they could to generate some type of comeback that included having Paul George drill a three pointer with 2:21 left in the game to come within 98-89 of the Mavericks. The Mavericks would reach the 100-point mark in the game by having Luka Doncic nail a floating jump shot with 2:01 left in the game to extend their lead to 100-89. The Clippers would call a timeout with 1:27 left in the game as Luka Doncic was simply toying with them by nailing a 12-foot shot to give him 42 points in the game. Coming out of the timeout, the Clippers turned to Mfiondu Kabengele but couldn’t convert as he missed a three pointer that would signal the white flag for them.

This team looked like they wanted to play as the Mavericks offense were much better than previous game. The Mavericks used a good second quarter as they had their luck on their side that saw them take a 56-51 lead at halftime. There were at times the Clippers could’ve ran away with this game but Luka Doncic took over as he had a monster first half. This game was once again living up to its expectations as this had playoff atmosphere. Both teams were fighting hard to see who would get the season series lead and the potential tiebreaker (in case if these two teams would have the same records at the end of the season).

In the end, it was the Dallas Mavericks defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 105-89 to clinch the season series 2-1. The Mavericks record would improve to 21-18 on the season. Luka Doncic finished the game with 42 points and 9 assists in the crucial win. The Clippers were led by Paul George as he finished with 28 points and 7 rebounds. The Mavericks wearing their “Hardwood Classic” green jerseys for this game worked as they were able to generate some good luck on St. Patrick’s Day. With the win, the Mavericks are just 2 games back in the loss column from the 4th seed in the western conference. We hope that you guys had a fantastic St. Patrick’s Day.

The Mavericks will travel to Portland to face the Portland Trailblazers in a two-game road series with them, starting on Friday.

Categories: Mavs Fans For Life