Mavericks Fall Without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to Clippers, 118-95

Missing their two best players was too much to overcome for the Mavs

Dec 19, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) dribbles as LA Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. (55) defends during the first quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks played the first of two straight games against the LA Clippers on Thursday night, down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. While the Clippers were down Kawhi Leonard and Terance Mann, they did get former Maverick Derrick Jones Jr. back in their lineup.

Without Doncic and Irving, Dallas started Spencer Dinwiddie, Quentin Grimes, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II. LA rolled with James Harden, Kris Dunn, Norman Powell, Derrick Jones Jr., and Ivica Zubac.

READ MORE: Charles Barkley Slams Recent Mavericks-Warriors Shootout

Kris Dunn started the scoring with a three-pointer matched by P.J. Washington on the other end. It was clear the Mavs were missing the playmaking of Doncic and Irving, as some rough decisions and sloppy passes were being made. Dereck Lively II also got caught in no man's land a few times on defense to allow some easy buckets. Thanks to another made three by Washington and some shots at the rim by Lively, they were able to tie the game at 12.

Quentin Grimes started to get going, and they also started getting to the free-throw line more. After some failed foul baiting from James Harden, Klay Thompson hit two straight baskets and Jazian Gortman had a nice layup to allow the Mavs to take a 30-24 lead heading into the second quarter.

Klay Thompson started the second quarter with five more points, including a nifty layup off the glass for an and-one to take a 36-30 lead. After a pretty lob pass from Naji Marshall to Dereck Lively II, Dallas's offense started to dry up, but they were playing good defense on the other end, especially on Ivica Zubac's post-ups. Finally, a banked runner by Spencer Dinwiddie ended a nearly three-minute scoreless stretch, but they were still leading 42-36.

Dallas' offense was still struggling to score, getting late into shot clocks without freeing up a good look. That allowed the Clippers to continue chipping away and even take a 47-46 lead following a driving dunk by Derrick Jones Jr. PJ Washington and Jones traded three-pointers and a missed buzzer-beating layup Spencer Dinwiddie left the Clips with a 50-49 lead at halftime.

READ MORE: Former Mavericks Lottery Pick Enters G-League Showcase

While the rest of the team continued to struggle, Klay Thompson was hot in the opening minutes of the second half, scoring seven of Dallas' ten points to start the half, including a nice mid-range finish on the move. That helped the Mavericks keep pace, and the game tied at 59. A 7-0 run after a brief Dallas lead, closed off by a three from Norman Powell, gave LA a 68-63 lead.

Things got a little out of hand from there, as a mix-up with Jazian Gortman and Kris Dunn ended with Dunn putting a fist to Gortman's throat, leading to Dunn's ejection. That didn't give the Mavericks any immediate momentum like you might expect, as James Harden's control of the game started making a real difference. He was finding Zubac on early rolls, getting the ball to open shooters, and getting to the free throw line, something he's done his entire career. That allowed LA to take their biggest lead of the game, 82-69, with a few minutes to go in the third quarter. A 10-0 run by the Clippers would mercifully end with four free throws from Spencer Dinwiddie, but the Clippers would still take an 89-77 lead into the fourth quarter.

Klay Thompson had another strong start to the quarter, but Dereck Lively II was having a rough time trying to keep up with Ivica Zubac down low. Zubac was bullying him on the post, which led to a double team that he could play out of. But a transition finish by Dinwiddie cut the lead to eight with less than nine minutes to play, but the Mavericks picked up their fourth foul of the quarter on the next possession, putting the Clips in the bonus for the rest of the game. Dallas failed a transition attempt, leading to Lively fouling Norman Powell on a three-point attempt to extend the lead back to 11. James Harden and Powell hit back-to-back threes soon after that and the lead was back to 15.

That would be enough for the Clippers to coast to the finish and win 118-95.

Klay Thompson had a solid game, finishing with 22 points, but shot just 2/9 from three-point range. Spencer Dinwiddie was the Mavs' second-leading scorer with 19 points, but he was 0/6 from three-point range. PJ Washington (14 points), Dereck Lively II (13), and Quentin Grimes (11) were also in double-figures.

Norman Powell led the Clippers with 29 points, James Harden had a strong game with 24, and Ivica Zubac dominated down low with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Derrick Jones Jr. had just eight points in his return to Dallas.

The Mavericks (17-10) will play the Clippers (16-12) at home again on Saturday.

READ MORE: Re-Grading Dallas Mavericks' Offseason Acquisitions

Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024-25 Season

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter

More Dallas Mavericks News

• Luka Doncic Puts Up 45-Point Triple-Double, Mavericks Sink Warriors, 143-133

• Jimmy Butler ‘Open’ to Joining Mavericks in Potential Trade

• Dirk Nowitzki Being Considered for Amazon's New NBA Color Analyst

• Mavericks Hire Hall of Fame Executive as CEO