Mavericks-Clippers Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Dec 04 2012 8:29PM

Not only will the Dallas Mavericks be bringing some former Los Angeles Clippers into this matchup, they'll see some familiar faces as well.

The Clippers can stretch their win streak to four Wednesday night and hand the Mavericks a third straight road loss.

Dallas (8-9) features a pair of former Clippers big men in Elton Brand and Chris Kaman. While Brand has faced Los Angeles (11-6) six times since leaving the club following the 2007-08 season, this will be Kaman's first road game against the team he spent his first eight seasons with before being traded to New Orleans in the blockbuster deal that brought Chris Paul to the Clippers before last season.

Kaman is fifth on the franchise's all-time list in games (493) and rebounds (4,109), while Brand is first in rebounds (4,710) and sixth in games (459).

Dallas will see Lamar Odom for the first time since sending him to Los Angeles this offseason in a four-team trade. Odom averaged career lows of 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in a tumultuous 50-game stint for the Mavericks last season during which he had an argument with owner Mark Cuban in a 94-89 loss at Memphis on April 7.

The Mavs probably have warmer feelings toward reserve forward Caron Butler, who is in his second season with Los Angeles after signing as a free agent following an injury-plagued tenure with Dallas. Butler earned a championship ring with the Mavs in 2010-11.

One Dallas player looking forward to this contest is top scorer O.J. Mayo, averaging 20.2 points. This is Mayo's first game against the Clippers since last year's playoffs when he played for the Grizzlies in a seven-game, first-round series loss to Los Angeles.

"It just makes me want to go that much harder, obviously," Mayo said. "You remember those games, those losses. You remember Game 7."

The Clippers trailed by as many as 14 points before rallying for Monday's 105-104 victory at Utah. Blake Griffin had 30 points and 11 rebounds and Jamal Crawford added 20 points off the bench.

"In the first half, it was almost a waste of time because no one showed up," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Our defense was weak, we were soft and we had no toughness. ... But I was very pleased with the way we responded ... and made plays down the stretch."

The Clippers scored 25 points off 17 turnovers. They lead the Western Conference in forcing 18.4 turnovers per game.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle has warned his team of that while also noting that the Clippers are allowing an average of 26.1 free throw attempts for one of the NBA's worst marks.

"We've got to be good with the ball, they're great at forcing turnovers and we've got to be aggressive and get to the free-throw line," Carlisle said. "They're a team that fouls."

Carlisle's team also fouls a lot, yielding a league-worst 27.9 free throws per game.

The Mavs will also have to be wary of Paul, who is averaging 21.8 points against them in the regular season for his third-highest mark versus any opponent.

Dallas is starting a three-game trip after ending a three-game slide with Saturday's 92-77 victory over Detroit behind Mayo's 27 points.

Clippers beat Mavs 112-90 for 4th straight win

By BETH HARRIS
Posted Dec 06 2012 2:26AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) The starters got off to a strong start, then had a front-row seat for the show near the end of the Clippers' fourth consecutive victory.

Blake Griffin had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Chris Paul added 14 points and 13 assists in Los Angeles' 112-90 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

Jamal Crawford had 20 points, Caron Butler scored 16 and DeAndre Jordan 12 for the Clippers, who shot 50 percent and dominated the entire game, keeping excitable Dallas owner Mark Cuban glued to his seat with his chin cupped in his left hand.

It was the opposite of Monday night's win in Utah, when the Los Angeles starters fell behind by 13 points in the first quarter and 14 points in the third before rallying for a late win.

"Our biggest thing is that we need to get off to good starts and a lot of that has to do with me," Paul said. "A lot of the guys have been telling me that I need to be more aggressive, that I'm letting guys off the hook."

Vince Carter scored 16 points off the bench. Derek Fisher added 15 points, and Shawn Marion and Chris Kaman had 14 points apiece for the Mavericks, who fell to 2-7 on the road.

"It's a tough loss, to come in here and be embarrassed like that, especially at the end of the game when they were playing around throwing lobs back and forth," Marion said. "We've got to take this and learn from it."

The game brought together past and present for the Clippers. Lamar Odom had four points and 11 rebounds in his first game against Dallas since he spent a lost season there that ended with Cuban cutting him loose in March. He was traded to the Clippers in June.

"Just another game," Odom said. " Just focus, whatever it takes to win I'm going to do."

The Clippers' former front line of Elton Brand and Chris Kaman, who helped them get within a game of the 2006 Western Conference finals, combined for 28 points for the Mavs.

Los Angeles' second unit came on in the fourth, with Crawford and Matt Barnes combining to score 21 of their 28 points in the period.

"We always talk about the starters being able to sit in the fourth quarter," Griffin said, "to be up enough and not have to play."

The reserves showed they could put on a show, too, with Crawford setting up a reverse dunk for Eric Bledsoe, who then dunked on the Clippers' next possession, drawing cheers from the fans who bothered to stick around for garbage time.

"I don't think it was rubbing it in," Carter said. "`It wasn't anything that was done maliciously. The plays were there for them."

The Mavs never managed a late run against a team they had won nine of their previous 12 against in Los Angeles.

"We tried to make a run there, but we weren't able to get stops when we needed to," Marion said.

The Clippers built their second-largest lead of 22 points early in the third. Fisher, who signed with the Mavs last week, keyed a 15-5 run with three 3-pointers, reminiscent of his big shots while helping the Lakers win multiple NBA titles.

"I'm just looking forward to be as helpful as possible with this team," Fisher said. "There's a lot of young guys, but we do have some potential."

But the Mavs couldn't muster another sustained run the rest of the period and trailed 83-68 going into the fourth.

Dallas opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run, including seven by Carter that drew them within two points. But the Clippers responded with an offensive flurry, going on a 26-8 run to stretch their lead to 18 points. The spurt was punctuated by a variety of dunks from Jordan and Griffin, and three consecutive 3-pointers, two by Crawford.

Crawford made one more 3-pointer off Griffin's pass to keep Los Angeles ahead 60-42 at halftime.

The Clippers led by 11 points in the opening quarter, when they shot 50 percent and held the Mavs to 36 percent shooting.

Notes: F Dirk Nowitzki is on the Mavs' trip to LA, Phoenix and Houston, but still not close to playing games. He's been out all season after arthroscopic right knee surgery and watched the game from the bench. ... Crawford made three free throws, extending his streak to 51 straight since Nov. 3. ... Clippers G Chauncey Billups missed the game because of tendinitis in his left foot. ... The Clippers' run of 10 turnovers or less in their last three games ended when they committed 18 miscues. ... Singer Tamia, wife of Clippers F Grant Hill, scored a Grammy nomination for best R&B album. "If she wins, she'll go straight to diva," he joked.

Notebook: Clippers 112, Mavericks 90

Dan Arritt, for NBA.com
Posted Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:49 AM - Updated Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:49 AM

THE FACTS: It's safe to say the Clippers are firmly entrenched in another groove. After a four-game losing streak last month put some doubt in the minds of their long-suffering fans, the Clippers continued to erase that memory with another all-around dominant performance Wednesday night, leading to their fourth consecutive victory. Blake Griffin totaled 19 points and 13 rebounds and Jamal Crawford paced the bench with 20 points, leading to a 112-90 wire-to-wire victory over the Mavericks at Staples Center.

THE STAT: The Clippers continue to use their defense to score easy baskets on offense. They came into the game averaging a league-leading 10.5 steals, the only NBA team averaging in double figures. They produced a season-high 18 against Dallas, turning 22 total turnovers into 26 points. It marked the fourth time this season the Clippers finished with 13 steals or more.

QUOTABLE: "It was a good step forward for us." -- Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro.

TURNING POINT: The Clippers scored the game's first seven points and led by as many as 11 in the opening quarter. They extended their lead to 20 in the second quarter and Dallas never climbed back within single digits.

HOT: Crawford delivered his team-leading ninth 20-point game this season, three more than the next-closest teammate. He also produced the 34th four-point play of his career, extending his NBA record, and extended his franchise-record for made free throws to 51.

NOT: Dallas forward Jae Crowder may have hit the wall a little sooner than most rookies. He went 0-for-6 from the field and scored two points. In the last four games, he's 3-for-26 from the floor. That could be why Elton Brand started the second half at power forward instead of Crowder, or it could be Brand was the only Dallas forward with any shot at guarding Griffin.

GOOD MOVE: The Clippers delivered a number of highlight-reel dunks during the game. One of the best came in the first half, when veteran forward Caron Butler pump-faked a 3-pointer from the baseline, then drove to the basket and threw down a tomahawk dunk. Crawford got into the act as well, driving baseline then dribbling the ball behind his back as he cut toward the free-throw line. He threw up a no-look jump-hook lob pass to a trailing DeAndre Jordan, who spiked the ball through the hoop with enough force to rattle the backboard.

QUOTABLE II: "Turnovers triggered basically all the problems tonight."
-- Dallas coach Rick Carlisle.

BAD MOVE: The Clippers disclosed before the game that veteran guard Chauncey Billups had inflammation in a tendon in his left foot, the same foot that required surgery to a torn Achilles last February, sidelining him for nine months. Clippers coach Del Negro created some confusion during his pre-game chat with reporters when he said the injury was to his ankle. The injury was officially diagnosed as peroneal tendinitis in his foot, which could sideline Billups for a few games. He had played in three games since returning from the Achilles injury.

NOTABLE: The Clippers have scored 29 points or more in eight of their last 11 quarters. ... Clippers reserve forward Lamar Odom continues to progress. After scoring a season-high seven points in a 105-104 victory Monday in Utah, he finished with a season-high 11 rebounds against the Mavericks. .... Dallas guard O.J. Mayo came into the game second in the NBA in 3-point shooting efficiency at 52.7 percent (49-93), but finished 0-for-4 against L.A., the third time in the last five games he went without a 3-pointer. ... The Mavericks came into the game second in league in bench scoring at 41.5 points and the Clippers fourth at 40.4. L.A. finished with a 47-34 edge, only the fourth time this season the Dallas reserves have been outscored by their counterparts. ... The Mavericks shot 40.5 percent from the field, improving the Clippers to 9-0 when the opponent shoots 43 percent or less.

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Saturday vs. Phoenix, Sunday vs. Toronto, Tuesday @ Chicago. For the Mavericks, Thursday @ Phoenix, Saturday @ Houston, Monday vs. Sacramento.

• Mavericks: Cunningham, Nowitzki
• Clippers: Billups, Hill, Thompkins

• Mavericks: --
• Clippers: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #50 Olandis Poole, #65 Sean Wright
• Attendance: 19060
• Duration: 2:18