The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night by a final score of 144-126. The NBA In-Season Tournament victory against LA was a tremendous rebound performance for Dallas after their recent loss at the hands of the Toronto Raptors. It was also a nice response after Kyrie Irving said head coach Jason Kidd called the Mavs “soft” following the defeat against Toronto.
The entire Mavs team played well for the most part in the victory. Luka Doncic led the charge with 44 points on an incredible 17-21 shooting from the field. Irving also impressed with 27 points for Dallas.
After the contest, Kidd commented on the Mavs' “bounce back game” versus the Clippers.
Jason Kidd speaks out after Mavs' big win
“Yeah, I think it was a great bounce back game,” Kidd told reporters, via Bally Sports Southwest. “The way we played against Toronto, I thought the guys executed the game plan [against the Clippers]. Everybody participated… [Luka and Kai] set the tone tonight and the guys followed.”
Dallas' defense has endured some struggles so far during the 2023-24 season. Even in Friday's win, the Mavs still surrendered 126 points. But the game was never all that competitive given Dallas' convincing lead.
There is reason for hope when it comes to the team's defensive effort though.
Dereck Lively's presence has proven to be pivotal for the Mavericks' defense in the paint. Meanwhile, Grant Williams has emerged as a leader for Dallas' defense overall. And when the Mavs' offense performs like it did on Friday, this team is nearly unbeatable.
Doncic and Irving, as Kidd mentioned, set the tone in the game.
Doncic, Irving take care of business
Perhaps Irving had added motivation against James Harden. Doncic always seems to perform well against the Clippers.
Both players performed well throughout the affair. The most promising takeaway from this game, despite the pure offensive explosion, was the improved chemistry.
Sure, there were some alley-oop attempts that did not go according to plan, but the offense appeared to be in rhythm for most of the game. The Mavs feature plenty of offensive potential but sometimes there is a lack of consistency within their scoring attack. It's safe to say that was not the case Friday.
In fact, Dallas' offense proved they can hang with any team in the league. As long as the defense continues to improve, there is a lot of reason for excitement with this Mavericks squad.
The Mavs will look to earn another victory on Sunday in a road clash with the New Orleans Pelicans.
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