Final: Clippers 104, Mavs 101

Box Score | Highlights

Behind the Box Score

Dennis Smith Jr. scored in double-figures for the 18th straight game tonight, which is the fourth-longest run by any rookie in franchise history. Next up is Mark Aguirre at 20.

Notebook

  • Dirk Nowitzki reached the 50,000-minute milestone tonight, becoming just the sixth player in NBA history to play 50K. He also passed Elvin Hayes, who somehow played exactly 50,000 minutes in his career, for fifth place on the all-time list. Dirk became the founding member of the club of players who achieved a regular-season MVP, Finals MVP, 30,000 career points, 50,000 minutes played, and 20 seasons played for only one team. There’s a really good chance that he’ll be alone in that club forever.

  • J.J. Barea again showed why he’s so valuable off the bench, and why he was missed during his brief absence. On his first possession, Barea found Salah Mejri with this peachy pass around DeAndre Jordan for a dunk.

    [wp_hyena imageurl=’https://www.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/jj-to-salah.gif’ data_hyena='{“slate”:”300,0.10,15″,”player_fade_speed”:”500″,”control_opacity”:”0,0.9″,”fade_speed”:”250,250″,”style”:2}’]

    The next time down the floor, Jordan anticipated the pass and kept his arms down to keep Barea from trying anything. The diminutive point guard happily took that as a chance to shoot, and he banked in a floater. Barea now has a counter for virtually every defensive coverage and can see the entire floor in the pick-and-roll. He’s sage-like. Tonight he scored 12 points and handed out five assists, finishing a team-best +14.

  • Wesley Matthews chose a good night to go nuclear. Without Harrison Barnes in the lineup, the Mavericks needed someone to pick up the scoring slack to keep the team in it. Matthews hit seven 3-pointers tonight, busting out of a 5-for-24 slump during the previous five games. Despite this being only his third season in Dallas, Matthews ranks second in franchise history in games with at least five, six, and seven made 3-pointers, per Basketball-Reference. He hits the long-ball in volume better than most Mavericks to ever lace them up. When he gets going, his shooting is a sight to behold. His confidence is always there, but you can really tell the difference when he’s feeling his outside shot.

  • For your viewing pleasure, with no added commentary necessary:

    [wp_hyena imageurl=’https://www.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/dsj-fancy.gif’ data_hyena='{“slate”:”300,0.10,15″,”player_fade_speed”:”500″,”control_opacity”:”0,0.9″,”fade_speed”:”250,250″,”style”:2}’]

    Unfortunately the final score wasn’t in their favor, but that highlight is sure to make MFFLs everywhere feel pretty good for a variety of reasons.

    What’s Next

    The Mavs (17-37) will play the Golden State Warriors (41-12) on Thursday at Oracle Arena at 9:30 p.m. Central.

  • Share and comment

    More Mavs News