Los Angeles Clippers’ historic rise rolls on with victory over Dallas Mavericks

LOS ANGELES – From 6-21 to 41-38, the Los Angeles Clippers continue their historic turnaround season, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 116-103 at the Intuit Dome Tuesday night, inching themselves closer to securing the No. 8 seed. 

No team in NBA history has ever reached above the .500 mark after falling 15 games below it in the same season. It, of course, takes a village to achieve that. 

“To have a mindset to go through tough times and get your way out, I give all the credit to our players and coaches,” said Clippers Head Coach Tyronn Lue. “Have the mental fortitude to say you know what that’s over, that’s behind us, let’s start from here.”

Adjustments have been key all season and rotations within the starting five are a common theme. For just the second time this season and now their second consecutive game, Lue rolled out the starting five of Derrick Jones Jr., Kawhi Leonard, Brook Lopez, Darius Garland and Kris Dunn looking to replicate their success from their dominant 138-109 victory Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings.

It initially appeared like the Clippers would run away with it, as they built an absurd 27-4 lead barely six minutes into action. 

Their 39 points by the first frame’s end was the fifth most points they’ve dropped in the first quarter this season, with all five of those instances happening since the start of March. This potent offense also nailed six triples during that stretch, the seventh time they’ve done that in the first 12 minutes this season. 

Yet, for a squad that is only playing for the lottery at this point in the season, the Mavericks quickly stampeded their way back in, nailing nine of their last 14 field goals to make it a more respectable deficit. 

Leading that charge was the rookie sensation Cooper Flagg. From his innate ability to attack the rim at will and dish out the ball on the drive and even his unreal poster dunk on Clippers’ center Brook Lopez, Flagg continues to make his case for Rookie of the Year. 

“It didn’t look like we slowed him down,” said Lue. “His ability to attack the basket and get to the rim, make plays for his teammates, and the ball-handling skills he has, puts you in tough positions.” 

Flagg has been on an unprecedented level of greatness, especially of late. After his historic 51 point career-high against the Orlando Magic on Friday, he followed that up with a 45 piece against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. His 96 points was the fifth-most in NBA history for a rookie in a two-game span with Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain holding all four spots above him. 

To put his season into perspective, his Sunday performance was also his fourth career 40+ point game, surpassing Lebron james for the most 40-point games by a teenager in NBA history. 

Despite shooting just 9-for-25 from the floor in this one, Flagg brought that tenacity and also set the pace for the Mavericks, helping them take the lead on two separate occasions after being down by as many as 23 points. 

He finished with 25 points and nine rebounds, falling just three assists shy of his 12th 25-5-5 game, remaining in a tie with Luka Dončić for the second-most games reaching that statline in NBA history for a teenager. 

Another key contributor for the Mavericks came from Marvin Bagley III, who finished with 21 points on an efficient 8-for-11 shooting from the floor. His 15 first-half points were also his season-high. 

Yet, the Clippers got their response from “The Claw.” Leonard put on another Clipper clinic, dropping 34 points to continue his inevitable All-NBA 1st team season. 

Leonard continues to elevate his game. Averaging a career-best 28 points per game is not only the sixth best in the league, but also makes him the first player in NBA history to average a career high in points at year 14. His now 55 consecutive games with at least 20 points makes him one of just 10 players in NBA history to accomplish this in a single season. 

To top it off, he’s shooting nearly 90% from the charity stripe this season, adding another crucial element this season. 

“(It’s) just about how direct he is,” said Lue. “Getting to his spots, knowing where his shots are coming from and just this year his ability to get to the free throw line. As he’s getting older he’s getting better.”

Leonard contributed throughout the game, nearly reaching the 20 point mark with 19 by the first half, and nailing key triples to pad the lead in the second half. His six triples in tonight’s game marked his fourth game depositing at least six threes. 

The key moment for the Mavericks came when veteran guard Klay Thompson splashed a triple to give them just their second ever lead later on in the third quarter. Finishing the night with 11 points, Thompson is now just one point away from moving into the 100th spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. 

Like they have in their three previous meetings, the Mavericks gave the Clippers all they could handle throughout the majority of the game. 

While their brand of basketball is clearly not shooting from deep, as they rank 28th in three-point percentage and 29th in three-pointers made and followed that up with an abysmal 6-for-33 from deep in this one, they did a tremendous job of attacking the rack.

Going 27-28 at the line and nailing 26 consecutive free throws, the Mavericks kept themselves in contention. Their second-unit also helped  contribute 54 bench points for a team with just 25 wins. 

“You can’t look at their record and say oh well they should have won this game,”  said Lue. “Every night you got to compete, no matter what you’re doing.” 

Fortunately for the Clippers, it was the veterans who came through. Alongside Leonard’s efforts, Garland dropped 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. He recorded his 17th consecutive double-digit performance with the Clippers and are now 12-5 with him in the lineup. 

For a Mavericks team that ranks third in the league, averaging 53.2 points in the paint, the Clippers defense held them to just 44 paint points. 

Lopez played a major role in that department securing 11 boards to go along with four blocks, his second-highest total in a game this season. 

The Clippers eventually extended their lead back into double digits by the midway mark of the fourth quarter and never looked back, coasting their way to victory for the third time against the Mavericks this season. 

The Clippers now have a one game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 8 seed and will see them once more on Friday in Portland over their final three games. They just need to secure in that game to hold the tiebreaker over Portland. 

With this victory, the Clippers have at least guaranteed a .500 season. Needing just one more victory this year, the Clippers will look to extend their franchise record of 14 consecutive seasons above .500, which is currently the longest active streak in the NBA and seventh-longest streak in NBA history. 

That goal begins tomorrow night at 7 p.m., as the Clippers host the current No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder on the second night of a back-to-back. 

“We just want to run through the tape,” said Lue.  “(Let’s) finish the season strong, give everything we have, and see where we fall.”