Our Dallas Mavericks (38-40) look to further solidify a play-in berth as they take on the Clippers (45-32) for the second night in a row tonight. As colleague Matt Martinez put it last early this morning, last night’s game was a “curb stomping.” Let’s hope the Mavericks can get up off the ground and return the favor with a victory of their own tonight.
Who Will Step Up?
After shooting a deplorable 4/20 from three last night, the Mavericks will need to heat up from long range if they hope to win tonight. Their efforts to do so could be significantly hindered if Klay Thompson remains out tonight. The Maverick sharpshooter left last night’s game with an illness after only thirteen minutes of play and his absence was definitely felt. The Mavericks will need someone in their already compromised backcourt roster to step up and fill the hall-of-famer’s shoes.
Reinforcements Are Coming
As for the front court, Maverick fans should expect to the return of Anthony Davis tonight. As the Maverick’s best scorer, rebounder, defender, and overall player, his return to the lineup will undoubtedly be a boon for a team that looked lost last night.
Also expected back tonight is beloved 2nd year player Derrick Lively. The sophomore center will likewise help with stabilizing a defense that was bludgeoned inside and outside the paint by a more physical Clipper team.
Can the Clippers Keep it Up?
The Clippers lead the season-series 2-1 after last night’s resounding victory. Rivalry mainstay Kawhi Leonard led L.A. in scoring with 20 points in only 23 minutes. The Klaw is averaging 25 points while shooting 52.8% from the floor and nearly 43% from three over his last five games. The Mavericks will need to find a way to counter his late-season resurgence as they hope to optimize their play-in positioning tonight.
The Clippers, 8-2 in their last ten games, also have seeding positioning in mind tonight. Although they currently sit 7th in the West, they’re only two games back of the 3rd seated Luka-led Lakers. Given that, this game is arguably more important to them than it is to Dallas.
