Final: Mavs 114, Clippers 110
Throughout this season we have sung the praises of Luka Doncic both metaphorically and literally, we’ve highlighted the bench, and we’ve mentioned DeAndre Jordan double-doubles more times than I can remember. During that time, Dennis Smith Jr. hasn’t received quite the shine that perhaps he deserves, especially in recent games. He’s been playing at a higher gear the last half-dozen games or so, pushing the ball like crazy off of misses and creating chaos in transition. Against Houston, he was more active defensively than I’ve ever seen him. He might have played even harder tonight. Smith lost a tooth midway through the second half, but before leaving the game he messed around and won a jump ball, a scene straight out of a wrestling match.
Immediately after Patrick Beverley’s elbow caught Smith’s mouth, the game changed. Things got intense. Players were talking a little trash, playing a little harder, and Wesley Matthews caught a tech while Beverley caught an ejection for throwing the ball at a fan. An hour after the Clippers put a hole in Smith’s smile, Smith was back on the floor, defending Tobias Harris one-on-one with the game on the line. And he came up with the play of the game.
It’s fitting in a game as physical as this one that it came down to a post-up involving a guy who had his tooth knocked out earlier that night. Smith is becoming a better defender every game, and while stuffing a 6-foot-8 wing is understandably going to be the highlight, there have been several examples of Smith’s improvement on that end this season.
DeAndre Jordan faced off against the Clippers tonight for the first time in his career. It was surely an emotional experience for him, and his teammates said after the game that it felt good to win it for him. Jordan seemed to play with a little extra oomph tonight, and it reflected in his stat line: He finished with 16 points and 23 rebounds, becoming just the fifth Maverick ever to reach those numbers in a game. His single biggest contribution came on a play when he both rebounded and scored, tipping in a Harrison Barnes miss to give the Mavs a 109-107 lead with under a minute to play.
A few moments later, he came up with a steal and sank a free throw to extend the Mavs’ lead to two points, 112-110, the prelude to Smith’s block. Jordan put together an inspired performance and it helped set the tone at both ends.
J.J. Barea scored 24 points tonight, his most in three seasons. Harrison Barnes, meanwhile, reached the 30-point threshold for the first time this season. He’s now scored at least 20 in four of his last five, five of his last seven, and six of his last nine games overall. During that time he’s shooting well above 40 percent from beyond the arc, which has certainly fueled his scoring. Those two set the offensive tone early, with Barnes scoring 15 in the first quarter and Barea reaching 20 before halftime. Tonight was more about defense and the ugly stuff, but hey, scoring matters too.
After going 12-38 in clutch games last season, Dallas is now 6-5 in clutch contests this year. The Mavs have the ninth-best clutch defense in the league, allowing just 102.5 points per 100 possessions when the game is within five points at any time in the final five minutes, per NBA Stats. Also aiding the Mavs: They turn it over just 9.4 percent of the time in the clutch, which ranks seventh-best in the NBA. Turnovers have been an issue for the Mavs this season, as they rank 28th in the NBA in turnover percentage overall, but down the stretch they’re able to finish possessions with a shot or free throws because players like Barnes and Luka Doncic excel in isolation. Tonight, Barnes missed a couple consecutive shots at the rim late in the game which his teammates tipped in, but on the whole he’s an excellent face-up scorer. That’s a great asset to have late in close games, when defenses are set and usually the opposing bench knows which plays you’re running. Good teams win tough contests, and this certainly qualified as one of those.
What’s Next
The Mavs (11-10) will entertain the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.
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