On Dec. 21, the Clippers continued to win, beating the Dallas Mavericks 120-111 on the road to make it nine wins in a row this season. This is the third meeting between the two sides this season, with the Clippers also winning the first two times. In this game, the Clippers scored double-doubles with five players, and the bench scored 30 points in the game, leading the team to victory. Although Doncic, who has performed well this season, has handed over a triple-double, the Mavericks have never been able to stop their opponents in the face of the Clippers' powerful bench gunners.
The Mavericks opened the first quarter with a 9-4 lead from Gervais and Powell, but then the Clippers went on a 9-0 run with Mann and Coffey scoring. The two sides exchanged leads on several occasions after that, but the Clippers gradually extended their lead to double digits with the help of three-pointers from Carl Jr. and Theis. The Mavericks relied on Powell's chase to control the first-quarter deficit to within 13 points.
Doncic scored 14 points in a row in the second quarter to help the Mavericks close the score in one fell swoop. But the Clippers then relied on Harden and Powell to secure the lead. In the first half, the Mavericks mainly supported Doncic to score alone, and his teammates' shooting percentage was not high, which made it difficult for the Mavericks to really close the gap. The Clippers, on the other hand, have a steady lead with their teamwork.
In the second half, the Mavericks adjusted their state, and center Zubac hit the iron. With Doncic and Hardaway scoring, the Mavericks once chased the score to a one-point gap. But at key moments, Leonard and Harden scored consecutive points to help the Clippers pull away again. Despite the Mavericks' excellent performance off the bench, the Clippers managed to hold the lead with a small card on the bench, a small card from the bench, a small score, and an efficient three-pointer from Theis. In the end, he won by 9 points.
In this game, the Clippers restrained Doncic, who scored 28 points on just 9-of-25 shooting and shot a low 2-10 three-point shooting. The substitute Xiaoka scored 30 points in the game, and made 6 three-point shots to help the team win. The Clippers' other starters such as Leonard and Powell and the bench players such as Westbrook and Theis have all performed well. As for the Mavericks, although Doncic's triple-double statistics are eye-catching, his dribbling and breakthroughs at critical moments are firmly guarded by the Clippers defense. Hardaway (21 points) off the bench and Rookie Derrick Jones (19 points) also played well, but the Mavericks struggled to stop the Clippers on the defensive end as a whole.
Let's focus on the tactics and player performances of both teams.
Clippers: Team defense limits Doncic, bench small card highlights
On the offensive end, Leonard's 30 points and 10 rebounds continued his recent high-end performance. Against Doncic, George's absence leaves the Clippers without a scoring core. As a result, Leonard took on more of the offensive task in this game, making multiple kills from the perimeter and inside. Although the Mavericks rotated multiple defenders to limit Leonard, the latter used his physical ability and long-term advantage to successfully grab rebounds and make difficult shots in the restricted area.
In addition, such as Harden (17 points, 11 assists) and Powell (21 points) also gave the Clippers consistent scoring support. Among them, Harden's performance was relatively inferior to the previous game, and his shooting percentage was not high. But he managed to pry the Mavericks' defense and distribute the ball with 11 assists. Powell also felt good from the three-point range, as well as a decent mid-range jumper, and the bench players kept the Clippers efficient on the offensive end.
But the biggest highlight of the game was the substitute Powell, who started in place of George and scored 20 points in the game. This shows his formidable outside prowess. The other two benches, Willis and Theis, are also good and threaten from the three-point line. This makes it difficult for the Mavericks to defend effectively in the restricted area, and it is easy to be attracted by the Clippers' bench marking, which leads to leaks.
On the defensive end, the Clippers played very good team defense. In particular, the restrictive defense against Doncic was key to the Clippers' victory. The Clippers' defensive team, from Harden to Leonard to Powell, basically keeps Doncic in a two- or three-man bag at all times. Limits his selection space. In the restricted area, the interference of Leonard and big men also caused Doncic's success rate to drop significantly. This forced Doncic to keep shooting from the outside or three-pointers, and his three-pointers weren't good today. So it's fair to say that the Clippers managed to limit Doncic and make it difficult for him to score a lot of points for the Mavericks in key moments.
Doncic's gap became an important reason why it was difficult for the Mavericks to overtake in this game.
Mavericks: Eye-catching off bench but lacking overall firepower
The Mavericks' defeat has a lot to do with Doncic's restriction. Although Doncic ended up with a triple-double of 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, the offensive efficiency was not high when he was only 9-of-25 shooting. As mentioned earlier, the Clippers have adopted a tight defensive package against Doncic, allowing him to make a lot of three-point shots but a low shooting percentage. There is no doubt that Doncic is strong on the one hand, but in the face of such a team defense as the Clippers, it is difficult for one of them to support the overall situation alone.
The second is the performance of the Mavericks off the bench today. Rookie Derrick Jones' 19 points once again proved that he can be the new offensive fulcrum for the Mavericks, and Hardaway also played well with 21 points. But the problem is that the Mavericks shot more than 2 times overall today (Doncic and Derrick Jones) and only 2 shot more than 50 percent. Although the substitutes have a brilliant performance, there is no continuity. And the Mavericks only made 5 of 13 three-point shots in the whole game, shooting less than 40%. It also reflects from one side that the Mavericks' offensive end is not ideal and cannot play a more efficient rotation with the Clippers.
Finally, the Mavericks are not doing well defensively. Dwight Powell and Derrick Jones Jr. were both unable to effectively limit the Clippers' interior scoring. The Mavericks' interior defense in the penalty area has a large gap, making it easy for Leonard and others to invade the penalty area and get efficient offense. So the Clippers scored 58 inside to the Mavericks' 38. That's one of the reasons why the Mavericks couldn't win in the end.
Looking ahead:
Through this game, the strength of the Clippers and Mavericks has been revealed. Both sides are battling for a top-four finish in the West to secure direct qualification for a playoff spot. At present, it seems that the overall strength of the Clippers is above the Mavericks, but if Irving returns from injury, the Mavericks' strength will also be greatly improved.
In the next game, the Clippers will face the Thunder, while the Mavericks will face the Rockets. These two games are likely to have an impact on both teams' standings in the top four in the West. We'll see!