fbpx

Dallas Mavericks Lose Third Straight Game Against Clippers

Dallas Mavericks Jalen Brunson against Los Angeles Clippers
Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson (13) guarded by the Los Angeles Clippers Paul George during their NBA game on November 21, 2021. | Image by Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers both entered their Sunday afternoon matchups on 2-game losing streaks and without their star players due to injuries.

The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard, who has been out all season recovering from a knee injury suffered in the second round of last year’s playoffs.

For the third straight game, the Mavericks were without Luka Doncic and lost for the third consecutive time, this time by a score of 97-91.

With each team missing its star player, their teammates more than made up for their absences.

Kristaps Porzingis played an excellent game for the Mavericks, finishing with 25 points and eight rebounds, while the Clippers Paul George, who has played like an all-star all season, had 29 points, four rebounds, and six assists.

In the final moments, the match became a duel between the two stars. With Dallas trailing by 12 points and just over four minutes remaining, Porzingis caught fire and scored six straight points, all from near the basket, as he made the most of his height advantage.

The scoring surge gave Mavericks fans a glimmer of hope to pull out what had become an unlikely victory.

However, Paul George answered after Dallas had reduced their lead to three points. He hit a clutch mid-range jump shot with just over a minute remaining to extend the lead to 5. Dallas never pulled closer than that, and the Clippers took the win at home.

Like their previous two losses against the Phoenix Suns, Dallas played well in the first half but lost the game in the third and fourth quarters.

The Mavericks led by as many as nine points in the first half, but the Clippers closed the second quarter on a 16-8 run to trim the lead to only one point at the half. Dallas led 47-46 as the teams went into the locker room for the halftime break.

In the third quarter, the game completely turned against Dallas, when they were held to only 15 points thanks to suffocating defense from the Clippers. While the Mavericks struggled to score in the third, Los Angeles caught fire, making 10-of-18 shots (55.6%) in the quarter.

They used a 15-5 run to open the third to take a 71-62 lead into the final frame.

In the fourth, the Mavericks were only trailing 78-75 with 7:33 remaining following a three-point shot from Tim Hardaway Jr., but the Clippers went on a 9-0 run for an 87-75 lead. Porzingis’ late-game efforts were not enough to overcome the deficit for a Dallas comeback win.

Jalen Brunson was the second-best player for Dallas and was vital to making this game tight near the end as he scored 9 of his 20 total points in the fourth quarter.

Dallas’ record now drops to 9-7, and the Mavericks will get a chance to avenge this loss as they get a rematch against the Clippers in their next game tonight.

The Clippers’ record improved to 10-7. The team has now won the last three meetings against the Mavericks following their wins in Game 6 and 7 of last season’s first-round playoff matchup to eliminate Dallas.

Support our non-profit journalism

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Continue reading on the app
Expand article