LOS ANGELES – The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Los Angeles Clippers, 110-96, in a preseason game Monday night at the brand new Intuit
Dome. But in at least one way, the Mavs actually won.
With several players already nursing injuries and the Mavs a mere nine days away from opening the regular season, they got out of Los Angeles without getting anyone else injured.
“We want to get out of this (preseason) thing healthy,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We want to be at full strength come the 24th (of October on opening day).
“We have a lot of injuries to this point. But this gives us the next man up situation that we talk about during the season.”
The Mavs played Monday without Luka Dončić (left calf contusion), Maxi Kleber (left ankle sprain), Kessler Edwards (left ankle sprain) and Dante Exum (right wrist surgery). Also, Kyrie Irving sat out this game for rest purposes.
“The guys that normally probably wouldn’t play, it gives them an opportunity to play and also play in different situations, and we want to see how they handle that,” Kidd said. “This is the opportunity to see different things and see how these guys compete.
“But the biggest thing is our health and being able to come out of this thing healthy.”
Quentin Grimes led the Mavs with 20 points in just 22 minutes, and Jaden Hardy tallied nine of his 16 points in the first five minutes of the game. Also, Jazian Gortman poured in 13 points, P. J. Washington scored 10 points and Brandon Williams added nine points in only 18 minutes.
Gortman knows he’ll get better looks at the basket once he’s on the floor with Dončić.
“I want to see up close and personal what he’s able to do on the floor,” said Gortman, who was 3-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc. “I’m very excited about it.”
The Mavs (0-3) will finish preseason play Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center against the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s not known yet if Dončić will play in that game.
“He’s doing great with his rehab,” Kidd said. “He had a good workout today.
“We’re off and traveling (Tuesday), so hopefully he has another good workout Wednesday. But from everything I’ve seen and everything I’ve been told, he’s doing great.”
As far as Kleber is concerned, Kidd said: “He got hurt in September – right before camp. He stepped on someone’s foot and sprained his ankle.
“But his rehab and everything, he’s doing great. He had a great workout this morning, so he should be, hopefully, ready to go on opening night.”
Grimes was certainly ready to go against the Clippers (3-1) as he nailed seven of his 11 field goals attempts, including going 3-of-7 from downtown.
“Every day in practice I’m getting more comfortable with the offense and the defense and learning. . .playing with (Dereck Lively II) and playing with (Daniel Gafford),” Grimes said. “With every game and with every practice I’m getting a lot more comfortable knowing the guys.
“We had a lot of turnovers tonight and (we have to) come in (Thursday) with the mindset of taking care of the ball, play defense and rebound, and we’re going to go 
out there and try to get a win in the last preseason game.”
Kidd was very pleased with the way Grimes handled himself on the court. Said Kidd: “I think looking at his toughness, his ability to defend, his ability to play-make and also knock down shots, I thought in the time that he played tonight he was really good.”
Hardy, who scored nine of the Mavs’ first 12 points, also drew praise from Kidd.
“When you talk about Hardy’s ability, we all know he can score,” Kidd said. “His ability to be able to play-make, find guys, the lob, being able to make the corner pass, you can see he’s improved with his play-making and he’s worked extremely hard at it.
“So, it’s good to see him being able to, not just score, but be able to play-make for us.”
JONES PLAYED WELL: Derrick Jones Jr. scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds in 23 minutes for the Clippers while facing his old team for the first time.
Jones signed a one-year free agent contract with the Mavs last year and played well enough that he eventually worked his way into the starting lineup at the small forward spot. But when Jones hit the free agent market again this summer, he inked a three-year, $27 million contract with the Clippers.
“For him to climb the totem pole in a sense of maybe being the 10th man, the ninth (man), and then crack the rotation, and then to start, I think he took full advantage of the opportunity,” coach Jason Kidd said. “But he did the work, the trust of the coaching staff and his teammates were there, and we’re happy for him to get a new deal.
“When you come to Dallas, you’re going to work, and he was all about work. The Clippers are very lucky to have him.”
PATIENCE FOR THOMPSON: Coach Jason Kidd noted that it’s going to take some patience as Klay Thompson tries to find his shooting stroke.
Thompson was scoreless Monday as he missed all nine of his field goal attempts, including misfiring on all six of his three-point attempts.
“It’s preseason and he’s working his way through with a new group on the defensive end and the offensive end, so be patient, keep working,” Kidd said. “He’s going to be ready to work on Wednesday.
“It’s really simple. He’s getting looks, and as shooters you make some and you miss some. Continue to keep working and we’ll look to practice on Wednesday.”
BRIEFLY: The Mavs got themselves into all sorts of trouble by turning the ball over 29 times against the Clippers. “I thought we just played in traffic,” Kidd said. “Give them credit – deflections and they came up with steals.” . . . This was the first game played in the Clippers’ new $2 billion arena. For the trivia buffs, Mavs center Dereck Lively II scored the first point in the new arena when he buried the second of two free throw attempts at the 11:27 mark of the first quarter. And Mavs forward P. J. Washington scored the arena’s first field goal with 11:06 remaining in the opening quarter. Also, Mavs guard Jaden Hardy hit the first three-pointer with 10:09 left in the first quarter . . . On the Clippers new arena, Quentin Grimes said: “It’s nice. It’s one of the better arenas in the league for sure. I like it based on my game.” Kidd was in total agreement, saying: “This is beautiful. To be able to practice here (Sunday) and then be able to have shootaround here (Monday), they did an incredible job. I think the Clippers’ fans should be happy. I think when you look at the fan experience, it’s going to be like no other.” The arena includes a section called The Wall, which is dedicated to hard-core Clipper fans. In addition, every seat has a USB port to charge a cell phone.
X: @DwainPrice
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