Barnes delivers as Mavericks defeat Clippers
DALLAS -- Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes buried the go-ahead jumper and made big a steal with 3.9 seconds to go to give Dallas a 97-95 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night at the American Airlines Center.
It was a critical loss for the Clippers (43-30), who saw their three-game win streak end and also saw their chances to take over the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoff chase diminished. Los Angeles returns home for a Saturday matinee against No. 4 seed, Utah, which holds a 1 1/2-game lead over the Clippers.
Forward Blake Griffin had a chance to regain the lead in the final seconds, but as he made his move in the paint, Barnes managed to swipe the ball away. The Clippers were afforded one last chance to win with 0.9 seconds to go, but guard J.J. Redick's leaning 3-point attempt just missed off the back iron.
Barnes, whose only bucket in the fourth quarter turned out to be the game-winner, backed down Clippers guard Austin Rivers before fading away and draining the shot. He finished with 21 points, including 10 in the third quarter after a disappointingly cold-shooting game two nights ago against his form team, the Golden State Warriors.
After Barnes' bucket, the Clips missed out on two more opportunities to go back ahead when guard Jamal Crawford had the ball slip out of his hands, and point guard Chris Paul put up a an airball after making a crossover move to get open at the top of the key.
Dallas was led by guard Seth Curry, who scored 23 points, while moving in the starting lineup from shooting guard to point guard. Curry hit 9-of-14 shots, including making three 3-pointers. Forward Dirk Nowitzki finished with 14 points and center Nerlens Noel had eight points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals going up against Clippers center DeAndre Jordan.
Jordan had a pretty nice night himself with 14 points, 18 rebounds and two blocked shots. He recorded a double-double in the first half.
Griffin finished with a team-high 21 points, but was 9 for 23 from the floor. Paul had 15 points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals.
NOTES: Mavericks G J.J. Barea was ejected at the 5:29 mark of the third quarter with a flagrant 2 foul following a shoving incident with Clippers F Blake Griffin. Dallas led 63-58 at the time of the ejection. ... Mavs C Nerlens Noel was in the starting lineup for the second time since joining Dallas in a deadline trade. G Yogi Ferrell was bumped to the bench ... F Dirk Nowitzki, who ranks first among active players in games played, needs five to pass Reggie Miller (1,389) for ninth place on the NBA's all-time list.