On the back of a 34-point night from forward Kawhi Leonard, the Los Angeles Clippers rolled past the Dallas Mavericks to win 116-103 Tuesday night at Intuit Dome.
Leonard hit six 3-pointers to add to his 55th consecutive game with 20 or more points. Guard Darius Garland scored 22 points, forward Derek Jones Jr. had 11 points with 10 rebounds and center Brook Lopez contributed 11 rebounds.
Dallas forward Cooper Flagg led the team with 25 points on the night. Forward Marvin Bagley III provided a big spark off the bench with his 21 points and nine rebounds. The Mavericks were an impressive 27-of-28 from the free throw line with guard Max Christie going 10-of-10.
It wasn’t a clean game from the Clippers who were able to recover after blowing a 23-point lead in the third quarter.
Los Angeles fired right out of the gate with a strong 17-0 run to begin the game. It was a sluggish start for Dallas who was 0-for-5 from the field and did not make its first shot until about four minutes in.
The Clippers led by as much as 24 in the opening quarter. Flagg was able to get going and finished the first quarter with 13 points to keep the Mavericks in the game.
Shooting 68% from the field and knocking down six 3-pointers, the Clippers led 39-26 heading into the second quarter.
Los Angeles was unable to carry over momentum in the second quarter as the shots did not fall and the Mavericks were able to eat into the deficit. With 4:15 left in the first half, Bagley III hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to tie the game for the first time at 47.
The Clippers responded with an 18-8 rally and headed into the locker room up 65-55 at halftime. Flagg was limited to just one made basket in the second quarter.
Utilizing big runs and efficient execution from the free throw line, the Mavericks threatened in the third quarter. A basket from guard Ryan Nembhard late in the quarter gave Dallas’ its largest lead of the game at three points.
Leonard answered for Los Angeles, scoring seven of the Clippers’ final 11 points to give them a 89-84 lead entering the final quarter.
Los Angeles put the game away in the fourth quarter and was able to insert the reserves. Leonard did not play at all in the final 12 minutes.
The Clippers will look to carry over the momentum against the defending NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at Intuit Dome. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.