The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves on a five game skid and 13th in the Western Conference. Los Angeles fell to the Dallas Mavericks 114-110 on Sunday and lost to the Miami Heat 140-123 on Monday.
Despite facing a shorthanded Mavericks (6-15) lineup with three starters out, the Clippers (5-15) were unable to take advantage and dropped its seventh straight game at Intuit Dome.
Los Angeles led for most of the third quarter but a strong 13-2 run capitulated Dallas on top early in the fourth quarter. Both teams traded the lead in the final period, but a big 3-pointer from guard Klay Thompson put the Mavericks on top 104-103. Rookie forward Cooper Flagg knocked down six free throws in the final 1:20 minute to seal the game for Dallas.
Flagg had a season-high 35 points with eight rebounds for Dallas. Shooting 59% from the field on the night, Flagg had 21 points at halftime. The Mavericks received a big fourth quarter from Thompson who scored 17 of his 23 points in the final 12 minutes.
Against Miami (14-7), sloppy play in the second quarter from Los Angeles paved the way for the Heat to jump ahead big. As the Clippers’ struggled to find consistency, the Heat took advantage with a 32-7 run to close the second quarter. Miami led 76-53 at halftime.
Trailing by 29 points with still 10:34 to go in the third quarter, Clippers’ head coach Tyronn Lue emptied his bench. Miami had no trouble finding offense and eclipsed the centennial mark with 5:34 left in the third quarter on a pullup jumper from center Bam Adebayo to go ahead 102-66. By the end of the third quarter, Miami had 114 points.
Los Angeles trailed by as much as 38 against the Heat who had a strong night from beyond the arc, knocking down 24 threes.
With its starters inserted back in during the fourth quarter, the Clippers chipped away at the Miami lead with a late surge but the large deficit was too much to overcome.
Forward Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 30 points against Dallas and 36 against Miami. Point guard James Harden had 29 points and 11 assists against the Mavericks but played just 20 minutes against the Heat, adding 11 points. Los Angeles center Ivica Zubac contributed 19 points with 11 boards versus Dallas. Zubac scored 16 points against the Heat with 13 rebounds.
Turnovers were once again an issue for the Clippers against Dallas who was able to capitalize, scoring 20 points off Los Angeles’ 18 turnovers. Against the Heat, the Clippers were able to limit the turnovers to 13.
Los Angeles will be back in action on Wednesday as they take on the Atlanta Hawks on the road. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.