Dallas had no firepower without Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic
The Dallas Mavericks lost 118-95 to the Los Angeles Clippers Thursday night in Dallas, with both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in street clothes due to injuries.
Dallas’ offense crumpled without its two stars, as the Mavericks shot under 40 percent as a team (39.5 percent) and the defense couldn’t maintain for the entire 48 minutes. Klay Thompson led the Mavericks with 22 points, Norman Powell led the Clippers with 29 points.
Here are the three key stats we noticed:
54-34: Clippers advantage in points in the paint
It’s not shocking that the Mavericks were unable to maintain their strength of scoring in the paint without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, but what was noticeable was how poorly the Mavericks were able to guard the paint.
The Clippers big-boy’d the Mavericks near the rim all night, with Ivica Zubac cashing in a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double. Zubac had his way with both of the Mavericks big men all night, as neither Dereck Lively or Daniel Gafford were effective in slowing him down.
Not only did Zubac own the paint, the Clippers perimeter players did too. Los Angeles shot 15-of-21 (71.4 percent) in the restricted area, a number that’s way too high considering Dallas had all its best rim protectors healthy for this game.
17: Midrange attempts for the Mavericks
Dallas shot a very good 10-of-17 from midrange, but the 17 attempts were a lot, significantly higher than what the Mavericks average during the season. This was a summation of the Mavericks somewhat stagnant offense, as without their two best playmakers, the Mavericks couldn’t generate any positive momentum toward the basket.
So many drives tonight for Dallas ended with a player getting stonewalled at the free throw line extended and forcing a contested long-two near the end of the shot clock buzzer. Credit to Dallas for making an efficient amount, but all the midrange attempts meant less shots at the rim and from three, where the Mavericks struggled.
Players like Spencer Dinwiddie, Naji Marshall, Quentin Grimes all work within the space that the gravity of Doncic and Irving provide. It makes a big difference when those role players are now creating the space themselves, instead of working within the space provided for them by the Mavericks two offensive engines. It was a tough watch for the Mavericks offense tonight.
4: Consecutive game Klay Thompson scored at least 19 points
Klay Thompson now has four straight games with 19 or more points, with three of them being 20 or more. It’s his longest streak of the season, and all four games he’s shot at least 50 percent or better from the floor, also his best streak so far this season.
Thompson’s shooting rounding into his old form from Golden State is a boon to the Mavericks offense that has still been successful with Thompson’s gravity, but now this shotmaking can send them to another level.
That shotmaking wasn’t enough tonight considering how shorthanded the Mavericks were, but Thompson able to efficiently score 22 points without the two Dallas stars bodes well for his performance going forward.