Mavs could have used Dereck Lively II against Clippers

LOS ANGELES – Nights like what transpired Saturday is why the Mavericks wish they had the services of center Dereck Lively II.

The rookie from Duke sat out the game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a lower back contusion he suffered during Wednesday’s 104-101 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers. And the Clippers took advantage of Lively’s absence by beating the Mavs on the boards, 57-37, and outscoring them in second-chance points, 25-10, and in overall points, 107-88.

Point guard Luka Doncic said the Mavs missed Lively a lot.

“He’s 19 years old,” Doncic said. “I think a lot of people on our team expect a lot from him. Being a rookie is hard, obviously.”

With no Lively to contend with, Clippers center Ivica Zubac collected 11 points and 14 rebounds – four on the offensive end of the court – in just 23 minutes. Even reserve Clippers guard Russell Westbrook was able to grab four offensive rebounds.

By contrast, when the Mavs dominated the Clippers on Nov. 10 in a home game Dallas won, 144-126, Zubac had 12 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes, and Westbrook had just five total rebounds as Lively’s presence in the middle was visibly felt.

“We knew what type of game it was going to be (Saturday),” Mavs guard Kyrie Irving said. “You could tell that (Clippers coach Tyronn) Lue was going to make some adjustments, and they’ve playing with a better pace.

“For us, we still have some more work to do, continuing to hammering on doing the little things and just covering for one another. It was a tough game tonight, so you got to give them credit for doing that on that end — on the defensive end — and staying physical with us, and then offensively we just got a little stagnant. They kept us out on the perimeter pretty often.”

Whenever Lively is able to return to the lineup, the Mavs are hoping their offensive efficiency will improve. And they also hoe they’ll be able to contend better on the boards.

“He has an amazing potential, and you can see it,” Doncic said. “Even in his first season he’s been a big, big impact for us.”

Here are the three takeaways from the 19-point loss to the Clippers.

ROLE PLAYERS HAD AN OFF NIGHT: While Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined to score 56 points on 23-of-49 shooting, the rest of the Mavs combined to score 32 points on 11-of-42 shots. Tim Hardaway Jr. was the only other Mavs player in double figures as he finished with 12 points on 5-of-14 shots. As a whole, the Mavs shot just 37.4 percent from the field and were only 9-of-38 from three-point territory for 23.7 percent.

FROM ONE EXTREME TO ANOTHER: The Mavs scored a season-low 88 points Saturday. It also was the first time the Mavs have been held under 100 points all season. On the flip side, when the Mavs hosted the Clippers in Dallas on Nov. 10, the Mavs responded with a season-high 144 points during an 18-ppiont victory.  In fact, the Mavs tallied 47 points in the second quarter against the Clippers in that game. On Saturday, the Mavs had 45 points – in the first half.

THE OTHER CLIPPERS: The Mavs did a phenomenal job holding superstars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden to a combined total of just 16 points on 4-of-20 shooting. And while Paul George tallied 25 points, it was mainly the other Clippers who played a major role in their team winning this game. Specifically, Terance Mann (17 points), Norman Powell (15 points) and Ivica Zubac (11 points, 14 rebounds) were able to tip the scales in favor of the Clippers.

X: @DwainPrice