The Mavericks lost a thriller to the Clippers 133-127. Naji Marshall and D’Angelo Russell lead the way with 28 points each on 19 made shots between the two of them. Cooper Flagg contributed 16 points and 5
rebounds, and Daniel Gafford and Max Christie each had an inefficient 10-point night. For the Clippers, James Harden stole the show with a 41-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist triple-double, shooting an efficient 13-for-25 and only having 3 total turnovers in a 2OT game. Ivica Zubac also had a 27-point, 11-rebound double-double, and former Maverick fan favorite Derrick Jones Jr. had 15 points and 4 rebounds.
The game started rough for the Mavericks as they fell into an early 26-12 deficit. Naji Marshall and Cooper Flagg lead the way early in scoring with a couple of jumpers before some bad defense and Brandon Williams’ poor decisions made the Mavs fall out of the game early. At the 5-minute mark of the first quarter, D’Angelo Russell and Klay Thompson checked in together and checked in hot. They started a combined 5-for-7 for 12 points, including 4 3-pointers between the two of them, to pull the Mavericks within 3 points of the Clippers’ lead at the end of one. The second quarter started hot for the Mavericks as Klay and Naji made a couple of 3-pointers to extend the lead to 6 at the 9:50 mark of the second quarter. The Mavs and Clippers traded baskets back and forth until the 6-minute mark of the second quarter, when the Mavericks went on a 5-minute run without scoring a single time. The Mavs climbed back into it thanks to some great minutes from Moussa Cissé and some spectacular scoring from Naji Marshall. The Clippers lead 62-55 at halftime.
The 3rd quarter was the highest-scoring period of the quarter, with both teams scoring 30+ points each. The Mavericks let the Clippers get out to an early double-digit lead to start the second half, not scoring their first basket until a Christie free throw and a Gafford hook shot at the 10-minute mark of the period. The Mavericks stayed alive this quarter thanks to two Max Christie 3-pointers and more Naji Marshall brilliance, scoring the basketball. The two teams traded baskets and runs until the 4th quarter, when the score was 93-86. The Mavericks made a habit of starting quarters off poorly, with Derrick Lively having a lot of ‘what the heck’ moments to open the most important period of the game. The quarter belonged to D’Angelo Russell and James Harden as the two former all-star guards battled it out, going back and forth. Russell went 5/8 with all 5 makes in the quarter coming from the painted area. Bogdan Bogdanović helped keep up with Russell, knocking in three 3-pointers in the 4th. Daniel Gafford also made key plays down the stretch, getting a dunk and knocking in two free throws to help the Mavs force overtime.
Both overtime periods were all-out sloppy from both sides. Almost immediately, D’Angelo Russell turned into a pumpkin, having 2 straight ugly misses and a bad turnover directly to start overtime. Naji and Cooper carried the load offensively in the overtime period, with Flagg making 2 of the 3 total field goals in the period for the Mavericks. Naji contributed some free throws as well. The second overtime did not go as well for Flagg. He started the game by losing the jump ball to Nic Batum and giving up a layup, which was technically not marked as a turnover. The Mavericks had two bad possessions early in the second overtime, including a shot clock violation and a poor miss by Russell, and the game was pretty much over at that point. Let’s get into the stats.
-27: Brandon Williams Plus/Minus
Brandon Williams started his 3rd straight game for the Mavericks tonight and played like he wanted to be benched. Williams started the game 1-for-5, including three missed 3-pointers and a missed layup. The Mavs’ starting point guards’ leash should have shortened after Klay Thompson and D’Angelo Russell came off the bench absolutely nuclear tonight, starting 4-for-6 combined from the 3-point line. After being pulled at the 5:53 mark of the first quarter, Williams only got in for four total minutes in the second quarter and did not play in the third period. Williams got buried on the bench in the fourth, only getting in for a minute towards the end, taking an awful layup, and immediately getting subbed out after.
Williams’ awful play was a major factor in what could have been a coin flip game for the Mavericks, who need consistency from their guards. Williams reminded us all tonight why he didn’t have a job before the Mavericks decided to blow up their team and tank for no apparent reason last February.
11: Moussa Cissés minutes
Moussa Cisse’s minutes surprised me tonight with the return of Derrick Lively back into the lineup for the first time since October 26th. Lively had a rough first game back, finishing 1-for3 with 4 points and 5 rebounds. Lively had some bizarre moments and only played 17 minutes tonight. Between that and Daniel Gafford refusing to stay on his feet and out of foul trouble, the Mavericks called upon 3rd center Moussa Cisse for minutes, and man did he make the most of his opportunity (again).
Cisse played 11 minutes, made all 3 of the shots he took tonight, and contributed 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. Cissie’s minutes were invaluable to the Mavs tonight, who had trouble containing all-defensive team selection Ivica Zubac around the rim. This is Cisse’s 4th straight game getting 10 or more minutes, scoring, and having at least 2 rebounds in all of them. The two-way player is making a name for himself and making it hard for Jason Kidd to keep him off the floor, especially with the consistent poor play and inconsistent availability of his other bigs.
22: Clippers Fast Break Points
The Clippers entered tonight’s contest with a 3-8 record and the league’s 29th-ranked fast-break offense, while the Mavs had the 5th-highest-ranked team in pace. To win the game in regulation, the Mavericks would have to outscore the Clippers, a slow-paced team, with their highly explosive athletes in a home game that had significant NBA Cup implications. Instead, the Mavericks played to the Clippers’ pace, getting beaten on the fast break 22-16 and letting James Harden and Ivica Zubac pick them apart with their two-man game in the halfcourt. The Mavericks even lost the game in transition in double overtime.
After going down by one possession, the Mavs missed a quick mid-range jumper and then failed to get back, forcing them to scramble and foul, ultimately going down 4. At that point, the game was over. The Mavericks do not have the guard play or offensive creators to compete effectively in the half-court against teams, especially teams with point guards as good and experienced as James Harden. The Mavericks have too many tall athletes to be letting up rebounds and not running in transition. The key to winning and getting efficient shots for most individuals on this team is running the floor and being effective in transition. It has to change.
66: James Harden’s PRA
This is a Clippers shout-out, but James Harden was simply amazing tonight. 41 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 turnovers, 13-for-25 from the floor, 9-for-11 from the free throw line, 6-of-12 from the 3-point line, was getting anything he wanted and completely manipulating anyone Jason Kidd and the Mavericks threw at him. He basically carried the Clippers tonight. Harden is one of the best players of all time and deserves more credit for how long he has been this good and for putting up these amazing numbers. Truly an incredible basketball player.
