The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Los Angeles Clippers 99-97 on Saturday, February 12 at the American Airlines Center. It was the second consecutive game between the two teams, following the Mavericks’ 112-105 win on Thursday, February 10.
In Thursday’s game, Luka Doncic exploded for a career-high 51 points to secure the win for Dallas. On Saturday, Doncic again excelled with 45 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists, but this time it was in a losing effort.
Doncic had 23 points come in the fourth quarter alone, as he led a valiant Mavericks comeback that came up short. Doncic scored the team’s final 19 points in the last 4:12 to single-handedly bring the Dallas deficit to two, 99-97, with 3.4 seconds left. Doncic had one last shot at potentially winning the game, but his three-pointer from near half-court over two defenders was off the mark as time expired.
Besides Doncic, only two other Dallas players scored in double digits. Jalen Brunson, who had 22, and Reggie Bullock, who added 17 points. Combined, Doncic, Brunson, and Bullock scored 84 of the team’s 97 points. Taking into account both back-to-back games against the Clippers, Doncic has scored 96 of the team’s total 209 points over both games.
The Mavericks supporting cast was a major hindrance, as bench players scored only 4 points. However, bench production could improve when new additions via the Kristaps Porzingis trade, Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, make their debut. In this game, Dinwiddie and Bertans watched from the bench in street clothes as they continued to get acclimated with the team. However, four points from the bench is disappointing for any NBA team, even if the team is shorthanded.
Another area where the team struggled was interior defense. Without Porzingis, who had been the team’s best rim defender, the Mavericks (33-24) now have a weakness in guarding the paint. The Clippers (28-30) got to the basket at ease and scored 54 of their 99 points from inside the paint. It seems that opponents’ success in the paint will be a continuing trend throughout the rest of the season for Dallas.
The game started with both teams struggling to make shots. Doncic himself even struggled to make a shot to start the game, while the Clippers missed several outside shots. At the end of a grinding first quarter, Dallas held a 26-23 lead. Los Angeles began the second quarter on a 7-0 run to take the lead but never created much breathing room. At halftime, the Clippers held a narrow 49-48 lead.
The Mavericks played unorganized basketball in the third quarter. Los Angeles began to double team Doncic and forced him into several turnovers. Several calls went against Dallas, but the Clippers still could not create much breathing room and went into the fourth with the score at 70-67 in favor of Los Angeles. Doncic would finish with seven of the team’s 14 total turnovers.
The Mavericks fell by double-digits in the fourth quarter as the Clippers continued to attack the paint. It took a herculean effort from Doncic in the closing minutes to bring the team back and prevent what would have very likely been a double-digit loss.
Despite his big scoring night of 45 points and heroic effort to score the team’s final 19 points, Doncic was angry with himself for missing the potential game-winning shot. After his last shot went off the mark, Doncic ripped the tape off his fingers, threw it down on the court, and stormed off into the locker room.
The Mavericks face a formidable opponent next. They travel to Miami to take on the first-place team in the Eastern Conference, the Heat, on Tuesday, February 15, where Dinwiddie and Bertans are expected to make their debuts for Dallas. Hopefully, they will spark a supporting cast that needs a significant boost.