Clippers snap four game skid with second-half surge against Mavericks
LA Clippers guard Darius Garland (10) makes a jump shot over Dallas Mavericks forward Marvin Bagley III (35) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. DALLAS - In one of their most electrifying games this season, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 138-131 in an overtime thriller Saturday night at the American Airlines Arena to snap their four game skid and improve to 35-36 on the season. For a Clippers squad that was in dire need of a victory and was quickly slipping toward the 10th seed in the Western Conference, this win gave them the momentum they needed as four of their next five matchups are against teams with a sub .
500 record. The initial stages in this one looked far too familiar a site for the Clippers, as they were outmatched on defense. For a Mavericks squad that was just 4-21 since January 24th, they didn’t play like a squad that was seemingly in a rebuild year.
After putting up a then career-high 35 points the last time these two met on Nov. 29, Rookie of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg carried that over into this game early on, leading the charge offensively in the first half as he put up 15 points and dished out three assists to set up his teammates. Despite a poor shooting performance in the second half and finishing with 18 points, Flagg is still on track to becoming just the eighth rookie in NBA history to average 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists, joining an exclusive list of Hall of Famers like Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The Mavericks had an answer for everything the Clippers threw their way in the first half, as they went on a heater from beyond the arc. They made 10 triples by the break, four of which came from Klay Thompson in just six minutes of action. For a Mavericks squad that was just 27th in the league in three-point percentage and 28th in three-point attempts, the Clippers needed to step up in a big way down 72-63 and allowing 70+ points in a half for the third time since February.
Fortunately, Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland returned to action in this one after both were out in Thursday’s game against the Pelicans as they were monitoring respective ankle and toe related injuries. In the new-look starting five along with Derrick Jones Jr. , John Collins, and Brook Lopez, they looked to emulate their previous success before the losing streak and even match performances from their pre-trade deadline squad that went 15-3 from late December through late January and had the third best offensive rating in the league during that stretch.
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