“We’ve Got to Stay Hungry”: Mavericks Routed Again by Clippers as Play-In Race Tightens

Anthony Davis scored 27 in his return, but the Mavericks were overwhelmed 135-104 by the Clippers, falling to 38-41 and risking a road play-in game.

Photo: Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks arrived in Los Angeles seeking momentum and rhythm for the final stretch of the regular season. Instead, they were handed a pair of humbling losses by the LA Clippers.

Despite the returns of Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II, the Mavericks fell 135-104 at Intuit Dome on Saturday night, marking their second blowout loss to the Clippers in as many nights. Dallas has now lost three of four and dropped to 38-41 on the season, placing them in a precarious tie with the Sacramento Kings for ninth place in the Western Conference standings.

“The biggest message is we got to stay hungry,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “We haven’t achieved anything, even though we’ve been able, with all the injuries and restricted minutes, to keep ourselves in the play-in race.

“And so, we have to stay hungry,” Kidd continued. “We had a big win at home against Atlanta. Unfortunately we didn’t play up to par here against the Clippers. We have to go back home now, and we have games with the Lakers and Toronto. Hopefully we can protect home court and we can get a little rhythm going into the play-in.”

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