LOS ANGELES – Tuesday turned into a rough day at the office for the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavs got off to a slow start against the Los Angeles Clippers. Things started to fall apart in the second quarter when the Clippers seized command and took a 69-47 lead at the half.
All of that was because the Clippers made it a point to take the ball out of the hands of Luka Doncic by doubling him shortly after he crossed half court, thus forcing any other member of the Mavs to try and beat them.
It’s a strategy that’s becoming a blueprint a few teams have used when playing the Mavs this season. Going forward, the Mavs know they must devise a scheme to overcome this strategy, particularly since it puts them in a position where they’re at a distinct advantage because it leaves them basically playing four-on-three.
As far as Tuesday’s game goes, coach Jason Kidd said: “Our energy and effort wasn’t there in that first half. I thought in the second half we were better being able to execute (and) understanding we’ve seen this the majority of the season when teams are going to double and take the ball out of Luka’s hands.
“It’s just the spacing wasn’t very good there in the first half. So we talked about it at halftime, we made the corrections and we started to execute where the guys knew where to go, and then we started making shots. But when we don’t score, it really affects our defense. You saw that in the first half.”
The Mavs fared much better in the second half when they outscored the Clippers, 54-44, thanks to a sterling performance where Doncic scored 43 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out seven assists. Still, the Clippers were able to hang on and get out of Crypto.com Arena with a 113-101 victory.
Here are the three takeaways from the Clippers’ 12-point win over the Mavs.
SECOND QUARTER BLUES: Obviously, all four quarters matter in an NBA game. But the tell-tale signs in this game occurred in the second quarter when the Clippers outscored the Mavs, 38-22. Norman Powell did the most damage to the Mavs in that quarter as he scored 16 points while going 6-for-6 from the field, including making all three of his three-point attempts. The Clippers were 
14-of-25 from the field in the second quarter, while the Mavs were 6-of-16, got outrebounded 15-6, and turned the ball over five times.
REBOUNDS AND SECOND-CHANCE POINTS: Especially when it comes to rebounds, the Clippers took advantage of the fact that the Mavs are running out of big bodies. The Clippers grabbed more rebounds than the Mavs (56-42), and also enjoyed a 12-3 edge in offensive rebounds. That led to the Clippers outscoring the Mavs in second-chance points, 20-6, which was basically the difference in the game. The Clippers had five players collect at least five rebounds apiece, while Luka Doncic – he had 11 boards – was the lone member of the Mavericks with more than four rebounds.
INJURIES TAKING THEIR TOLL: To the naked eye, it’s easily noticeable that the plethora of injuries are taking their toll on the Mavs, who have been without Dorian Finney-Smith (right adductor strain), Josh Green (right elbow sprain) and Maxi Kleber (right hamstring tear) for quite some time. Then on Tuesday, Dwight Powell was limited to just eight minutes after he suffered a right hip contusion. The ripple effect from the laundry list of injuries is this: Luka Doncic played 43 minutes Tuesday, Spencer Dinwiddie played 40 and Tim Hardaway Jr. played 39. Big picture-wise, that’s not exactly what a coach likes to see.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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