“We’ve Got to Stay Hungry”: Mavericks Routed Again by Clippers as Play-In Race Tightens
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.”
Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II Return, but Chemistry is Still Lacking
After sitting out Friday’s loss for injury management, Anthony Davis returned and led Dallas with 27 points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes. He showed flashes of dominance, including a stretch in the first half when he attacked mismatches in isolation and finished through contact. However, he also committed six turnovers and appeared visibly frustrated at times by double teams and heavy ball pressure.
Lively, playing in his second game since returning from a stress fracture in his right ankle, started alongside Davis and logged just 15 minutes due to a minutes restriction. He finished with two points, three rebounds, two steals, and a block, providing some rim deterrence but struggling to keep up with LA’s quick ball movement. The Mavericks were also without Daniel Gafford (right knee sprain), who sat the second night of the back-to-back for injury management.
Despite Davis and Lively’s presence, the Clippers dominated inside. Ivica Zubac scored 25 points on a perfect 11-for-11 shooting night — a franchise record for most makes without a miss — and added 10 rebounds.
“They’re healthy and their big three were able to get going,” Davis said. “They had 80 points in the paint. It’s tough to beat any team when they score that many points in the paint. They’re playing great basketball right now and took care of business.”
Shorthanded Ball Handling Proves Costly
With Kyrie Irving (ACL), Danté Exum (hand), and Brandon Williams (two-way limit) unavailable, and Jaden Hardy ruled out pregame with a right ankle sprain, the Mavericks were down to one traditional point guard — Spencer Dinwiddie.
Dinwiddie logged 30 minutes and dished out a team-high nine assists to go along with eight points and four rebounds. When he sat, Kidd turned to a combination of Davis, Naji Marshall, and Caleb Martin to initiate the offense. The results were disjointed. Dallas turned the ball over 16 times, leading to 19 Clippers points. On Friday, they committed 18 turnovers.
“The Clippers do a really good job of protecting the paint,” Kidd said. “There’s a lot of hands and bodies in there. Turnovers were an issue again. When you play against a team that has great hands and is physical, they displayed that in this series.”
LA Clippers’ Stars Deliver Knockout Punch
Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Ivica Zubac combined for 83 points through three quarters. Leonard scored 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting in his first back-to-back appearance of the season, while Harden added 29 points, 14 assists, and seven rebounds. Harden got to the line consistently, converting eight of nine free throws, and controlled the game’s tempo with his pick-and-roll reads.
The Clippers led 66-57 at halftime and stretched the margin to 23 by the end of the third quarter. A 17-6 run midway through the frame, capped by a Zubac dunk, put the game out of reach at 92-71.
“It’s a challenge when you play a team like that with all their weapons,” Davis said. “They can score from every level. We’ve got to be better — defensively, especially.”
Dallas was outscored 80-50 in the paint throughout the game, and the Clippers shot 60.4% from the floor overall. The Mavericks shot just 25.9% (7-of-27) from beyond the arc, with Klay Thompson (4-of-8) providing most of the perimeter offense. The rest of the team was just 3-of-19 from distance.
Play-In Outlook Grows Murkier
With the Kings (39-40) defeating Cleveland earlier in the day, the Mavericks are now tied in the standings but trail Sacramento in the head-to-head tiebreaker. That means, as things currently stand, Dallas would be the 10th seed and have to travel for the 9–10 play-in matchup.
The Mavericks close the season with three games: home dates against the Lakers (April 10) and Raptors (April 12), and a finale on the road against the Grizzlies (April 14). If they win, they’ll finish 41-41, which could be enough to reclaim the ninth seed and host a play-in game at American Airlines Center.
But with injuries continuing to mount, that won’t be easy. Hardy’s ankle sprain marks the latest blow to the backcourt. Kidd said that there is no timetable for his return after the game.
Kai Jones provided a spark off the bench with 18 points on 9-of-9 shooting, but the Mavericks face an uphill climb without consistent perimeter shooting and better ball security.
