Clippers at Mavericks
The best team in the NBA faces the worst squad in the league when the Los Angeles Clippers visit the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. The Clippers are a torrid 13-2 as they open a six-game road excursion while the Mavericks have lost 11 of 13 games during a dreadful start to the campaign.
The poor start isn't the worst for Dallas, as the 1993-94 squad began the season with a 1-23 mark before finishing with a 13-69 record. The Mavericks did put up a good fight on Monday before succumbing 96-91 to the San Antonio Spurs for their sixth straight loss while veteran power forward Dirk Nowitzki (Achilles) missed his ninth consecutive game. The Clippers, who are 6-0 on the road, posted an impressive 123-115 home win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday as power forward Blake Griffin scored 26 points for his fourth straight game of 25 or more. "Blake is doing everything for us," Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers said afterward. "The fact that he can bring the ball up and make decisions gives us another dimension offensively."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (13-2): Point guard Chris Paul had 26 points and matched his season best of 12 assists against the Raptors but wasn’t thrilled with a performance in which his team committed 15 turnovers and allowed 70 second-half points. "We still have to be better," Paul said. "There was a lot of turnovers, fouls, and we gave up easy buckets for Toronto down the stretch." Shooting guard J.J. Redick contributed 20 points and is 17-of-29 from 3-point range over the past four games.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (2-11): Shooting guard Wesley Matthews had 20 points in the loss to the Spurs for his third-best scoring output of the season and he put his spin on the team's poor start during his postgame session with reporters. "It's a blessing to be able to play this game, simple as that," Matthews said. "Thousands or millions of other people want to be doing what we're doing. We wake up every day and get to do what we love." Small forward Harrison Barnes continues to excel in Nowitzki's absence, and his 20-point outing against the Spurs marked the seventh time he has scored 20 or more this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Clippers won five of the past seven meetings.
2. Los Angeles C DeAndre Jordan has 11 double-digit rebounding efforts this season after having 17 points and 15 rebounds versus Toronto.
3. Dallas PG Deron Williams (calf) missed three straight games and seven of the past eight.