Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Dereck Lively Returns From 1-Game Absence

The Dallas Mavericks play one of Luka Doncic's favorite opponents in the Los Angeles Clippers at American Airlines Center on Friday. It will be the Mavs' second In-Season Tournament game.

The last time the Dallas Mavericks played the Los Angeles Clippers, it was star point guard Kyrie Irving's dazzling Dallas debut in L.A. on Feb. 8 following his trade from the Brooklyn Nets. Irving led the Mavs to a 110-104 win in that one while putting up 24 points, four rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block while shooting 9-17 overall. Oh, and he had a crazy acrobatic finish over Kawhi Leonard that went viral on social media.

The last time the Mavs played the Clippers, it was Kyrie Irving’s debut after being traded from the Nets. Mavs won 110-104 & Kyrie somehow got this to go over Kawhi Leonard. pic.twitter.com/z1q7Y4WC1y

— Dalton Trigg (@dalton_trigg) November 10, 2023

Now, the two teams meet yet again, this time in Dallas for what will be the Mavs' second In-Season Tournament game. The 6-2 Mavs will be looking to show some pride by bouncing back from a 127-116 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday where they gave up 72 points in the paint.

Rookie starting center Dereck Lively II returns to action for the Mavs tonight after a one-game absence. He missed Wednesday’s game due to an illness, and the Mavs looked completely lost without their 19-year-old defensive anchor.

The Clippers, who recently traded for star shooting guard James Harden, have yet to win a game with him in the lineup. They are 3-4 on the season and all four losses have come on the road, which is a good sign for Dallas. Still, the trio of Harden, Leonard and Paul George is one that gives the Clippers a chance to win on any given night when healthy. The Mavs must come into this game focused in order to avoid two consecutive losses for the first time this season.

“I would say we just take it in stride and have it not be a crutch and carry over into the next game. That’s probably it, just the maturity of being able to be in that locker room and just be honest about what we did tonight,” Irving said after Wednesday’s loss.

Kyrie Irving’s acrobatic finish over Kawhi Leonard in February / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

“We were soft in the interior, in the paint. When you have your head coach calling you soft, you have to take that personally, and take that as a challenge. Once we watch film it will make more sense, I’m looking forward to it tomorrow so we can just move forward, and I would say it’s just part of our season of growth.”

Here's everything else you need to know about the game:

Mavericks vs. Clippers Injury Report: Mavericks: Maxi Kleber (toe) is DOUBTFUL. Dereck Lively II is AVAILABLE. Clippers: Mason Plumlee (knee) OUT, Brandon Boston Jr. (quad) OUT.

RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (6-2), Los Angeles Clippers (3-4)

WHERE: American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)

WHEN: Friday, November 10, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. CT

TV: Bally Sports Southwest, NBA League Pass | RADIO: 97.1 The Freak

ODDS: Mavericks -2.5 | OVER/UNDER: 235.5

MAVS STEP BACK:

NEXT UP: The Mavs will hit the road for a four-game trip that starts with two consecutive visits to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday and Tuesday.

FINAL WORD: “I mean we didn't need this game to show that we depend on him, he knows how big of a presence he is in the middle of that paint, how much he covers up a lot of our mistakes and gives us second-chance opportunities," Irving said of the Mavs missing Lively in Wednesday's loss to the Raptors.

"It was all on us to really do the little things and continue to talk about that every time we come in here and we don't perform the way we expect too. Details, [we] were giving up a lot of points, especially in that third quarter, and the second quarter too. ... You got to give credit to them, but we’re gonna look at film tomorrow, and definitely look at some of our plays that we took off, whether it was down the stretch or in the first three quarters. We just need to be better and continue to build that trust, especially on the defensive end.”