Preview: Mavs host Clippers during in-season tournament play

The Mavericks will host an in-season tournament game for the first time on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center when they entertain the Los Angeles Clippers.

This is the second of four qualifying games the Mavs will play in this first-ever NBA tournament. Last Friday in Denver they dropped a 125-114 decision to the defending world champions in their first-ever in-season tournament game.

Houston, New Orleans, the Nuggets and Clippers are the teams stationed in the Mavs’ in-season tournament group, and Dallas will play each of those teams one time in the in-season tourney.

In the end, the in-season tournament quarterfinals will be played Dec. 4-5 before the surviving teams travel to Las Vegas to play the semifinals on Dec. 7 and the championship game on Dec. 9.

Each member of the championship winning team will collect a $500,000 check.

*This is the finale of a short two-game home stand for the Mavs. The home stand started with Wednesday’s 127-116 loss to the Toronto Raptors. After Friday’s game, the Mavs hit the road for a four-game trip. The Mavs will play a pair of games in New Orleans on Sunday and Tuesday, then face the Washington Wizards on Wednesday and the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 18 before returning home to host the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 19.

*Mavs center Dereck Lively II is questionable for Friday’s game with a non-Covid illness. He missed Wednesday’s game against Toronto with the same illness.

*The Clippers are 0-3 on a four-game road trip which ends with the game against the Mavs before they return home to entertain the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon. The “road” trip started with a 130-125 loss in overtime on Nov. 1 against the team the Clippers share a home court with – the Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers also suffered a 111-97 loss at the New York Knicks on Monday, and a 100-93 loss at the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

*The Mavs are 99-71 all-time against the Clippers, including a 58-29 record during games played in Dallas. Also, the Mavs are 4-3 in their last seven meetings against the Clippers.

Luka Doncic averages 31.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 8.8 apg, Kyrie Irving is averaging 20.3 ppg and 7.3 apg, and Tim Hardaway Jr. is scoring at an 18 ppg clip and shooting 40.5 percent from behind the three-point stripe.

*The Clippers recently shuffled the deck a bit when they acquired guard James Harden in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. In his debut with the Clippers on Monday against the Knicks, Harden finished with 17 points and six assists in 31 minutes, and was 6-of-9 from the field and 2-of-2 from three-point territory. And in Wednesday’s loss to the Nets, Harden collected 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes, and was 4-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-5 from behind the three-point line.

*Paul George leads the Clippers with 25.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 2.6 spg, Kawhi Leonard is averaging 21.4 ppg and 6.0 rpg, and Russell Westbrook averages 15.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 6.7 apg.

*Luka Doncic is averaging 32.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 7.6 apg and shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three-point range in 15 career regular season games against the Clippers. In addition, in the last five regular season games against the Clippers, Doncic is averaging 40.6 ppg, 11.2 rpg and 6.0 apg while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (3-4) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (6-2)

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV: BSSW

Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @DwainPrice