3 important takeaways from Dallas Mavericks wild win over LA Clippers

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the LA Clippers 103-101 in a wild contest on Nov. 15 as superstar Luka Doncic went for a 35-point double-double. It appeared Dallas would cruise to a victory after the opening half, but the Clippers fought back to make things interesting. Ultimately, the Mavs made just enough open shots to move to 8-5 on the season.

The Clippers used a balanced effort on the second night of a back-to-back. Paul George led the way with 23 points, but Nic Batum scored 22 on seven of seven shooting from 3-point range to get LA back into it. Credit to the Clips for not giving up and making things tough on Dallas on Tuesday night.

Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock stepped up and found their jumpers in the fourth quarter as Dallas went for 34 points in the final 12 minutes to secure the win. Here are three takeaways from the Nov. 15 victory over the LA Clippers.

Takeaway from Dallas Mavericks win over Clippers: 3. Blown leads are a problem

The Mavs looked like they had the game wrapped up in the first half. The Clippers scored just 32 points in the first 24 minutes, and Dallas was up 22 at the break, but things fell apart quickly after that.

LA exploited the Mavs lack of playmaking around Luka Doncic. They were hard doubling the 23-year-old superstar and forcing the ball out of his hands. Doncic was finding the open man, but the jumpers were not falling in the third quarter.

Dallas needed someone to put the ball on the floor and attack the rim. Luka got them up to 15 points in the third period by freeing himself enough to get downhill in the final minutes.

The Mavericks took their foot off the gas pedal again, which allowed the Clippers to work their way back into the contest. Dallas won a clutch game, but it never should have been there. The Mavs were in control, and they could have cruised to an easy win on the first night of a back-to-back. Instead, they let LA back in the game, and the Mavericks had to claw out a victory.

Takeaway from Dallas Mavericks win over Clippers: 2. Luka keeps scoring

Luka Doncic always has a bit of extra energy against the LA Clippers, and he hit the ground running on Tuesday night. Doncic had 20 first-half points on six of 11 shooting from the field and a perfect seven of seven from the line. See Luka using his footwork to get a bucket over Ivica Zubac below.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue decided he was not going to let Doncic beat his team, so they started hard doubling and forcing the Mavericks superstar to give the ball up. LA was making Doncic work on the defense end too. The Clips got back in the game because Luka’s teammates were missing open looks, but Doncic kept trusting them and he was ultimately rewarded in a wild game.

Luka finished with 35 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and three steals in 39 minutes of action. He made 11 of his 22 field goals on Tuesday night, and none were bigger than this improbable 3-pointer that was ultimately the difference in the game.

The Mavericks had to play Luka Doncic for 39 minutes against the LA Clippers to secure the win, and he was forced to expend a ton of energy on Nov. 15. They needed every second and point from number 77, and he once again delivered an incredible performance capped by another magical shot.

Takeaway from Dallas Mavericks win over Clippers: 1. Just enough help

The Mavs were struggling to knock down shots coming into Tuesday’s game. They were shooting just 34.3 percent from 3-point range as a team with Dorian Finney-Smith, Reggie Bullock, Maxi Kleber, and Tim Hardaway Jr. all making under 33.4 percent. It was a worrying trend that the Clippers attempted to exploit in the second half.

LA was comfortable doubling Doncic and letting Doe-Doe and Bullock wide open. The duo needed to step up and make shots. They did not in the third quarter, but the Mavericks wings turned things around in the fourth.

Dorian Finney-Smith had 21 points on seven made 3-pointers to go with three rebounds and three steals on Tuesday night. Bullock scored all 13 of his points in the final period, including making four 3-pointers to help Dallas to the narrow victory.

Tuesday’s game came down to shot-making. The Clippers shot 53.1 percent from the field, but Dallas took 43 3-pointers and made 17 to secure the win. Teams are going to force the ball out of Luka’s hands, especially late in games, and the role players must step up. They did just enough on Nov. 15 to help the Mavericks secure a key victory over the LA Clippers.

The Dallas Mavericks get zero time to rest as the Houston Rockets visit the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night. Can Luka Doncic and company make it three straight wins? Tune in to find out.