At one point, in the Mavericks’ 144-126 victory over the Clippers (3-5) on Friday night at American Airlines Center, in In-Season Tournament play, Los Angeles had a 12-point lead in the first quarter. However, Dallas had a 35-4 run at the end of the first quarter into the second, and they rolled from there.
The Mavs(7-2) erupted for 47 points in the second quarter and led 77-51 at halftime; Luka Doncic scored 32 of his 44 points in the second and third quarters, and Dallas had their largest lead of 32 points in the third.
“I thought everybody was alert and made plays,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said about the big run. “With all that being said, you’ve got to make shots, and I thought everyone made shots. Even Luka [Dončić] was making a lot of shots there in that run.”
Kyrie Irving, who had 27 points, six rebounds, and three assists, said the big run was about shotmaking.
“A bit of luck that they weren’t making shots, but outside of that, I feel like we were making them play in the halfcourt a little bit more than they anticipated,” Irving said. “They’re a great one-on-one, individual team, and I think they know that in that locker room. So, we wanted to make an emphasis tonight that they had to play through each other. They’re a new group, so we just wanted to take advantage of some of their mistakes in transition and make the game easier on ourselves by getting our in transition. ”
Doncic ended the game shooting 17/21 from the field, including 6/9 from deep; he also added six rebounds and six assists. The 81% from the field marks the highest of his career. According to him, the big run was about defense.
“It was great,” he said. “It was our defense, and we had the pace. We said before this game that we need to run, so that’s what we did.”
Dallas could have been better on Wednesday night in losing against the Raptors, so it was nice to see them bounce back against the Clippers. This team will score points this season; they must find a way to stay consistent on the defensive end.
Dallas heads on the road for the next four games, starting in New Orleans as they begin a two-game set with the Pelicans on Sunday night.
Mavericks offensive explosion:
The Dallas’ 144 points is the most in regulation since 1986 (147 at Seattle Sonics).
The Mavericks notched 47 points in the second quarter against the Clippers tonight, the fourth-most points scored in a quarter in team history.
Dallas made 19 threes in win over Clippers.
Notes:
Derrick Jones Jr. recorded 11 (4-10 FG, 1-4 3FG, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals. His 11 points and 10 rebounds mark his first career double-double, and his three steals in the first quarter marks a new career-high steals in the first quarter — tied for the second-most steals in a single quarter in his career.
Tim Hardaway Jr. recorded 17 points (6-13 FG, 2-8 3FG, 3-3 FT), three rebounds and three assists.
Rookie Dereck Lively II recorded a block tonight, marking his eighth consecutive game with a block since his debut. He is the only Mavericks rookie to accomplish that feat in his first eight games, and his eight consecutive games with a block ties for the fifth-longest streak with a block by a Mavericks rookie.
According to ESPN, Dallas could not play on their newly designed In-Season Tournament court due to a “manufacturing issue.”
Maxi Kleber (right small toe dislocation) missed Friday’s game against the Clippers.
