Breaking: Irving Returns to Spark Mavs: Dallas Looks to Rebound with Star Guard Back in Action
Squaring off in Dallas for the second time in three days, the visiting Los Angeles Clippers will look to earn a two-game sweep of the Mavericks on Saturday.
The Western Conference foes met on Thursday for the first time since the first round of last year’s playoffs, when the Mavericks topped the Clippers in six games. Enacting some revenge, Los Angeles dominated the second half on Thursday, pulling away for a 118-95 victory.
The Clippers, now 1 1/2 games behind Dallas for the fourth-best record in the Western Conference, took advantage of absences of Mavericks stars Luka Doncic (heel bruise) and Kyrie Irving (shoulder). Los Angeles’ three leading scorers on the season, Norman Powell (23.7 points per game), James Harden (22.2) and Ivica Zubac (15.1) combined for 74 points, with Powell’s 29 leading the way.
Powell, in the running for his first career All-Star selection, has paired career highs in scoring average and 48.5 percent 3-point shooting with 50.3 percent shooting from the field.
The trio for the Clippers has helped them win two straight and 10 of 15.
“Just being able to play off one another, (Zubac) is so big and dominant in the paint,” Powell said. “And then James is an all-around three-level scorer, he’s able to shoot the ball and find guys. Me playing off him, getting out in transition, looking for opportunities to get catch and shoot threes. When we all have it going like that, it’s hard to guard.”
The Clippers are still anticipating the return of Kawhi Leonard, who has yet to make his season debut with a lingering right knee injury. Los Angeles head coach Tyronn Lue recently announced Leonard won’t play on the Clippers’ current three-game road trip, but could soon be nearing his return.
The short-handed Mavericks — who were playing for the first time in four days — got 22 points from Klay Thompson in Thursday’s defeat but shot just 39.5 percent from the field and 23.3 percent (7-for-30) from distance.
After playing its first home game in 16 days without its two best players, Dallas isn’t making any excuses ahead of Saturday’s rematch.
“They were the better team,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said Thursday night. “We just couldn’t get any stops in the third quarter, and we couldn’t make any shots. There’s no excuse, there was no travel, we’ve been home. We’ll suit up the guys that can go. That group in the locker room played hard, and we just came up short.”
Doncic, whose 28.9 points per contest rank fifth in the league, was ruled out for Saturday’s game. Irving, who chips in 23.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, was removed from the injury report and is expected to return.
Irving last appeared Sunday, scoring 21 points with eight assists against the Golden State Warriors.
