DOUBLE FEATURE- Mavericks Clippers Final Score 109-103: Dallas prepares for Kings after blowing lead to Clippers AGAIN

Mar 27, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) walks off the court during the second half against the Los Angeles Clippers at the American Airlines Center. The Clippers won 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS MAVERICKS vs LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS Recap- March 27

Monta Ellis knocked down two free throws to give the Dallas Mavericks a 93-82 lead with 8:40 remaining, but in the case of the previous two meetings, the Los Angeles Clippers stormed back in the fourth quarter to defeat the Mavericks for the third time this season, 109-103 in Dallas on March 27.

The Clippers finished the game on a 27-10 run.

After Dallas went up 11, the Clippers scored the next eight which led to a timeout from Rick Carlisle.

The teams traded the next five points and a couple of missed shots. Dallas led 98-95 before DeAndre Jordan cut it to one with 3:36 left.

Ellis hit an eight-foot jumper with 1:46 left to give Dallas a 101-97 lead before LA went on an 8-0 run to lead 105-101 with 12 seconds left.

Chris Paul scored a game-high 31 points and added nine dimes, four boards and three steals. He shot 9-of-18 and hit four treys. Paul shot 0-of-12 from the field in LA’s previous game. Griffin added 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Vince Carter led Dallas with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and also hit four 3-pointers in 28 minutes off the bench. Dirk Nowitzki added 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting, but was an uncharacteristic 6-of-10 from the charity stripe.

Nowitzki was 0-of-5 in the fourth quarter, scoring two points off free throws, but was 2-of-5 from the line in the quarter including going 1-of-3 after being fouled by Griffin with 3:04 left.

The Mavericks go to 3-3 on their eight-game home stand and will finish against the Kings on March 29 and the Warriors on April 1. They also fell out of the playoff picture in the 9th spot out West, a half game back of Memphis for 8th.

Dallas has shown promise against the Clippers if the two meet in the first round of the playoffs, but has blown double-digit fourth-quarter leads in all three games this season versus LA.

The Mavericks led 110-103 with 3:50 remaining on Jan. 3 in Big D, only to fall 119-112. Paul left in the third with a shoulder injury, but Jordan and Griffin combined for 50 points and 33 rebounds.

Dallas fared better on Jan. 15 at Staples Center, leading by 17 with 4:35 left, but the Clippers finished on a 23-4 run to come away with a 129-127 victory behind J.J. Redick’s career-high 33 points. Redick has missed the past 22 games after sitting out against the Mavs.

To get a perspective of the season series, the Clippers have outscored the Mavs 66-16 in the final 17:05 of the three games combined.

On Thursday, Dallas led in rebounds, steals, blocks, field-goal percentage, 3-point percent, free-throw attempts, and had fewer turnovers and fouls, but missed eight of its 27 free throws compared to three misses from LA. The Clippers were +14 in fast-break points and +10 in the paint.

The Mavericks also held the advantage in bench points, 51-21.

Jan 31, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) shoots during the second half against the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS MAVERICKS vs SACRAMENTO KINGS Preview- March 29 at American Airlines Center (8:30 p.m. ET)

With the regular season winding down, the Mavericks are outside looking into the top-8 of the West. Every game is a must win as the Mavericks (43-30) have nine games remaining, starting with a visit from the Sacramento Kings on March 29. Game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on Fox Sports Southwest with Mark Followill, Derek Harper and Jeff “Skin” Wade.

Dallas hosts Golden State on April 1 to finish its home stand before playing five of its last seven on the road.

The Kings have the third-worst record in the West and are just 12-30 versus conference foes, but did defeat Dallas at home on Dec. 9, 112-97. DeMarcus Cousins had a monster game, posting 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting (12-of-14 from the line), 19 rebounds, three dimes and three steals. Derrick Williams added 31 points on 12-of-16 shooting.

Sacramento led 34-23 after the opening quarter and outscored the Mavs 35-26 in the third. The Kings finished the final 7:18 of the third on a 24-14 run to enter the fourth with a 19-point lead the Mavericks couldn’t recover from.

Nowitzki had 18 points, six boards, seven assists, two steals and two blocks while Ellis scored a team-high 21 points.

Dallas was held to 39 percent shooting, 18 percent from three. The Mavericks also took 14 fewer shots from the line.

The Mavs squared off the season series with a 107-103 home victory on Jan. 31.

Nowitzki scored a team-high 34 points, 18 in the first half, on 11-of-19 shooting while Ellis added 20.

Dallas trailed by six after three, but outscored the Kings 32-22 in the fourth. Up 102-100, Carter found a wide-open Ellis under the basket, who hit the and-1 bucket with 12.4 seconds left.

The Mavericks trailed by 14 with 3:44 left in the third, but finished the quarter out on an 11-3 run. They also trailed 87-80 in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run to maintain the lead. The Kings would tie it up a couple of times, but Dallas never relinquished the lead.

Shawn Marion and Cousins missed the game due to injury.

Rudy Gay had a game-high 35 points, 18 in the first half, 12 boards and six dimes.

The Mavericks are also one game back of the Suns for 7th. Dallas ends the regular season against the Suns at home and the Grizzlies on the road.