The Dallas Mavericks played the first of back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. Friday’s game served as a great fit for those looking for intrigue and maybe some chaos in the last 10 days of the 2024-25 NBA regular season. The Mavericks fell to the Clippers 114-91 at the Intuit Dome. Dallas dropped to 38-40, while Los Angeles improved to 45-32.
Naji Marshall led the Mavericks with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Spencer Dinwiddie followed up with 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. Jaden Hardy added 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Max Christie had 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist. PJ Washington Jr. scored 9 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists. Kai Jones recorded 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Daniel Gafford tallied 4 points and 5 rebounds.
Dallas Mavericks-Los Angeles Clippers Recap
The Dallas Mavericks ruled out Anthony Davis with a left adductor strain, Dante Exum with a left hand fracture, Dereck Lively II with right ankle stress fracture injury management, Kyrie Irving with left knee surgery, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper with a right wrist sprain. The Mavericks’ starting lineup featured Spencer Dinwiddie, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, PJ Washington Jr., and Daniel Gafford.
The Los Angeles Clippers ruled out Amir Coffey with left knee soreness, Ben Simmons with left knee injury management, Jordan Miller with left hamstring tendinopathy, and Seth Lundy with a left ankle sprain. The Clippers’ starting lineup featured James Harden, Kris Dunn, Norman Powell, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac.
The first quarter was action-packed, with both teams exchanging leads and runs. Powell helped the Clippers get on the board with a three-pointer, while Washington Jr. scored in the paint for the Mavericks. The Clippers led 29-16 after the first quarter. The second quarter remained in favor of the Clippers. Derrick Jones Jr. threw down a dunk. The Mavericks’ offense struggled. The Clippers took a 58-35 lead into halftime.
The third quarter saw a slow start, but both teams picked up the pace. Marshall dominated on offense, and Zubac played excellent defense. Thompson left the game due to an illness. The Clippers led 81-60 after three quarters. The fourth quarter began with the Clippers’ fast start. Bogdan Bogdanovic hit back-to-back three-pointers. The Clippers won 114-91 in regulation.
Mavericks-Clippers Highlights
The Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers game had multiple highlights, such as Davis being “very critical” of the Mavericks’ performance on Monday. Davis said, “We know the position that we are in … Definitely a tough loss … A game we should have won. Hats off to them [the Brooklyn Nets], they shot the ball really, really well … We just gotta do a better job on the defensive end, also offensively, especially late-game.”
A Mavericks fan repeatedly yelled “Fire Nico!” in Mavericks GM Nico Harrison’s face just moments before the Mavericks’ home game against the Nets on Monday. Harrison reportedly said “Hi” to some people who showed up early. It’s unclear if the fan was removed from the American Airlines Center, but Monday’s incident showed some fans still loathe Harrison.
The Clippers’ Eric Smith was named the public address announcer for the 2025 NCAA Men’s Final Four at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Smith is eager to experience the ambiance and will use his cellphone to take a video of himself while introducing the players to the four teams.
Final Thoughts
Davis drilled a game-winning, 15-foot fallaway jumper with 3.4 seconds left in the third quarter to help the Dallas Mavericks edge the Atlanta Hawks 120-118 at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday. Davis’ game-winner came after Thompson buried a three-pointer to even the score 118-118 with 41.3 seconds left. The Hawks committed a turnover, and the Mavericks called a timeout.
According to the Mavericks’ PR, Davis led the Mavericks with 34 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks for his 20th career game with 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 5+ blocks. Davis joined Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, and Bob McAdoo as the only players with 20+ 30-10-5 games.
The Mavericks’ PR posted on X, “Spencer Dinwiddie (9) accounted for half of Dallas’ assists (18) in the opening half tonight against ATL. Dinwiddie’s 9 first-half assists are his most in any half this year and 2 shy of his career-high for a half (11, twice). He also had 9 points to go along with his 9 assists.”
Irving is one of six finalists for the 2024-25 NBA Sportsmanship Award, also known as the Joe Dumars Trophy. Dumars was the award’s inaugural winner in 2000 when he played for the Detroit Pistons. The award is presented to the player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.
Davis was dominant against the Hawks. Davis’ performance during Wednesday’s win was what Dinwiddie believes will routinely happen moving forward. Dinwiddie said, “We expect those type of performances out of him … We understand that there’s always rust and there’s always a little bit of slowness as you’re picking things up. That’s just part of it.”
The Dallas Mavericks and Clippers will meet again for the second of back-to-back games at the Intuit Dome on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Pacific. Former Clippers Forward Marcus Morris debated with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s “First Take.” Morris said, “Everyone knows Steph Curry, if not the best point guard to ever play the game, but I’ve got to disagree with you here, and you know who I’m going to go to? … I’m going with Kawhi Leonard.”
