Sloppy play from a lineup heavy on reserves — but we found a couple of bright spots.
The Los Angeles Clippers pulled away from the Dallas Mavericks in the second half Monday, bringing Dallas’ record to 0-3 in the preseason, while the Clippers celebrated a 110-96 win in the first-ever game played in the newly christened Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
A Mavericks lineup bereft of its stars and leaders searched all evening long for someone to consistently make something happen, but without Luka Dončić (calf), Kyrie Irving (rest), Dante Exum (wrist) and Maxi Kleber (ankle), the Dallas offense sputtered for stretches as getting out of the building healthy became priority number one.
The Mavs committed 29 turnovers that halted all momeentum in the throwaway loss in Los Angeles — to the Clippers’ 19. LA took a 56-51 lead into halftime, and Dallas’ level of play mostly devolved from there. Jaden Hardy (16 points, three rebounds, four assists) took over some of the ball-handling duties early on and sparked the offense at times while racking up a game-high five turnovers. Jazian Gortman scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half and went 3-of-5 from 3-point range as he continues his bid for a roster spot.
And, yes, Klay Thompson shot 0-for-9 from the field and turned the ball over four more times in his second pre-season game as a Dallas Maverick, but it’s easy to throw numbers like those, and the team turnover total, when three of the guys missing for the Mavericks are among the team’s best space creators. There’s no way Mavs fans will panic about this… right?
New signee Kevin Porter Jr. led the way for the Clippers, who put six scorers in double figures, with 18 points and six assists on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. Here are a couple of Mavericks that found a way to have a good game even when things got ugly in LA.
Quentin Grimes
Backup guard Quentin Grimes’ stock is on the rise like no one else on the Mavs’ roster. He should see more minutes off the bench as a result of Exum’s wrist injury, and he’s rounding into form nicely. He’s one of the few role players on the Dallas roster who doesn’t require a Dončić or an Irving to create space for him. He scored a game-high 20 points in the loss, shooting 7-of-11 from the field. He hit three 3-pointers and looked smooth both spotting up and in the mid-range when he was chased off the arc. He did turn the ball over four times, though. It was contagious out there.
Dereck Lively II
Lively and Daniel Gafford shared the Mavericks’ team lead in rebounds with seven apiece, and both showed strong interior defense at times. But Lively did a little bit of everything for the Mavs. He blocked a couple of shots on defense. He made plays initiating offense before all semblance of order and reason broke down on that side of the ball in the second half and ended the night with five assists as well. He was a great dribble handoff hub, creating consistent rim-running lanes for himself even if the lobs didn’t materialize on this Monday night.
The Mavericks will be back in action on Thursday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks. Tipoff at American Airlines Center is scheduled for 6:30.
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