Streak-busting is tough business.
The Mavericks spent a night fighting mostly from behind and wound up with a legit shot of ending the red-hot Los Angeles Clippers’ winning streak.
But Kawhi Leonard wouldn’t have it.
The Clippers persevered down the stretch and the Mavericks came up just short as they went down 120-111 at American Airlines Center and LA extended its NBA-best winning streak to nine.
The Mavericks, 16-11, lost for the second time in a row while the Clippers improved to 17-10.
The Mavericks had their chances. But when Luka Dončić missed two free throws with the Clippers up 116-110, it was a sign that this comeback was not meant to be.
This was the first time in 12 games that Luka failed to reach 30 points. He finished with 28 points. He did tack on 10 assists and nine rebounds.
The Mavericks were only down 111-110 before the Clippers ran off nine consecutive points to close out the game.
Kawhi Leonard was the catalyst. He found Norman Powell in traffic for a three-point play and then made a dandy fake and drove the baseline for a dunk that put the Clippers up 116-110.
Leonard would finish with 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. James Harden had 17 points and 11 assists. Powell had 21 points.
Leonard seemed intent on taking over the game down the stretch.
“It’s real tough,” said Jaden Hardy, who had 15 points on 5-of-9 three-point shooting. “A guy like him, to be able to knock down tough shots down the stretch. And being able to play through contact and get to the basket, it was huge for them. I feel like that was pretty much the game-changer.”
Said coach Jason Kidd: “Late, we just couldn’t stop Kawhi. Kawhi took over the game. You’re not going to be able to play him straight up. He was going quick away from the double-team. We can’t hold him up, he’s too strong.”
The Clippers, quite simply, are the hottest team in the league right now and they are ascending fast in the Western Conference standings.
The Mavericks, however, had their chances, thanks mostly to halftime adjustments that included going with a small lineup in which Luka at 6-7 was their tallest player. With injuries to center Dereck Lively II, Maxi Kleber, Kyrie Irving and Josh Green sidelining those players, it was a necessity to play small in this game.
“No one feels bad for us that we’re shorthanded, but those guys fought, put ourselves in position to win. We just came up short,” Kidd said. “Small ball, we made them match up to us. That’s a small victory. For that group to be able to change the game where they took out their bigs to match to us. Our next step is to be able to play a little more with small ball and see if we can be effective.”
For those who were wondering if the Mavericks could survive without Dončić, we give you the third quarter of Wednesday’s game.
The Mavericks’ superstar point guard did not score. And yet, the Mavericks chopped an 11-point halftime deficit to 85-83.
From there, it was a struggle. Both teams tightened defensively and the Mavericks, who had dug out of a 22-point hole earlier, were tied at 100 midway through the fourth quarter.
It set up a riveting finish.
The run that Luka has been on for the past few weeks is nothing short of incredible. He came into Wednesday’s game with 11 consecutive games of 30 or more points. The Mavericks not surprisingly were a very respectable 7-4 in those games, despite fighting a rash of injuries.
And, of course, Dončić has a penchant for punishing the Clippers. He has five career 40-point games against them, more than he has against any other team, and that doesn’t include the five more he’s had in two playoff series against the Clips.
That led to this analysis from Clippers’ coach Tyronn Lue.
“When you play a great player, you can’t show him the same thing every possession,” he said. “You got to change it up. You show Luka a steady diet of the same thing, he’ll pick you apart.
“If you don’t (show a steady diet), he’s probably going to pick you apart, too.”
And, as if on cue, Dončić was rolling almost from the start on Wednesday as he took advantage when the Clippers didn’t double-team him and made them pay with clever passes when they did run a second defender at him.
And yet, the Mavericks were down 55-33 in the second quarter.
They rallied at the end of the half with a couple of much-needed three-pointers from Tim Hardaway Jr. And Luka went into the halftime locker room with 21 points as the Mavericks trimmed the deficit to a more workable 67-56.
Hardaway might be better known for taking charges, but early in the third quarter, he stepped in front of a Clippers’ pass and made off with a solo fast break dunk that got the Mavericks within 69-64 and the Clippers had to a call a timeout.
The Mavericks were going without a center to start the second half, with 6-7 Dončić as their tallest player on the floor. The Clippers, however, could not exploit the advantage 7-footer Ivica Zubac had and the Mavericks crept closer.
They got it within 72-71, but never did take the lead.
At least, not until the fourth quarter.
X: @ESefko
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