Inside Report: Mavericks-Clippers preview — Streaking Mavs try to clip Griffin and Co., again

Earl K. Sneed previews the Mavericks' Wednesday night battle against rookie sensation Blake Griffin and the Clippers. The Mavs are looking for their ninth straight win over the Clippers to extend Dallas' four-game winning streak.

LOS ANGELES — After holding Rookie of the Year favorite Blake Griffin to two relatively pedestrian nights earlier in the season, the Mavericks will try to keep the “walking human highlight film” from taking over in their third matchup with the upstart Los Angles Clippers on Wednesday night.

With Thursday night’s rubber match against the two-time defending champion L.A. Lakers on deck, the Mavs will look to continue to build momentum with a third win over Griffin and the Clippers (29-45) this season and a ninth straight victory overall against the Staples Center’s co-tenant. The Dallas team also hopes to run its winning streak to five, after beginning a six-game road trip with back-to-back victories in Utah and Phoenix.

But Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle knows that it will not be easy, with Griffin and the Clippers — much like the Lakers to following — possessing plenty of size and athleticism. And according to the coach, the Mavericks (52-21) will have to pay extra attention to the glass if they hope to sweep through the City of Angels with two more notches in the win column.

“The next two games are gonna be a lot about rebounding,” Carlisle explained, “because you’ve got two very big, tall, powerful, athletic teams that go get the ball above the rim. So, we’re gonna have to get on bodies and go get it.”

Griffin has been a master at going and getting the ball in his first campaign of action, averaging 22.4 points and 12.0 rebounds on the season. But the Mavericks have been able to keep the 6-foot-10 All-Star forward from exploding for a huge night, holding the former No. 1 overall draft pick and Oklahoma standout to just averages of 19.0 points and 10.0 rebounds — while shooting just 35.5 percent compared to his season average of 50.2 percent — in two Dallas wins by an average of 11.5 points.

But even Carlisle knows that the third time could be the charm for the Clippers’ big man inside. And that’s why the coach plans to center Dallas’ defensive game plan on stopping the young phenom.

“[Griffin] is very good and he’s gonna be great in time. He makes gradual progress every time I go a couple of weeks without seeing a game, and I watch him and he’s a little more patient, a little bit more comfortable shooting the ball, a little better feel for the NBA game, all those things. And he’s the kind of guy whose ability level tells you that the sky’s the limit,” Carlisle said.

Meanwhile, the Mavs will try for their fifth straight win over the Clippers in L.A., winning by an average of 17.5 points in the previous four including a 99-83 margin on Oct. 31. Overall, the Mavericks have won 14 out of 15 in the series, while also forcing the Clippers to suffer through their longest losing streak against any Western Conference opponent.

But in order for the Mavericks to extend that streak both Carlisle and his future Hall of Famer at point guard, Jason Kidd, say that they must first get off to a better start.

Although Kidd’s 8-0 run to conclude a 91-83 win in Phoenix overshadowed the Mavericks’ sluggish first quarter, which featured six turnovers and 5-of-25 shooting in the period, the team knows that it will take a better start to keep the athletic Clippers from building confidence. And both the coach and the floor general agree that it’s as simple as making shots and protecting the ball if the Mavs hope to come out to a better start Wednesday night.

“We’ve got to shoot better and cut down on some of the early turnovers. That will certainly help,” Carlisle explained.

“I don’t want to blame it on age,” the 38-year-old Kidd added, ”but we sometimes are spoiled in the sense of having a deep team and we get off to a slow start. But we just feel that if we just keep coming, then the tide will turn. And we always feel that somebody will pick it up because of our bench…We’ve got two more back-to-backs, so we’ve got to look at getting off to a better start.”

The Mavericks will have their opportunity to do so Wednesday night, as they try to extend their winning streak while remaining focused on the Clippers, with Thursday night’s showdown against the Lakers looming.

Note: Before taking on the two-time defending champion L.A. Lakers for a third time on Thursday, the Mavs will try to move to 3-0 in the season series against Rookie of the Year favorite Blake Griffin and the Clippers. Wednesday night’s Clippers-Mavericks matchup will tip off at 9:30 p.m. CT, airing locally on Fox Sports Southwest.

The team returns to Dallas to host the Denver Nuggets on April 6. The Nuggets lead the season series 2-1 including a 121-120 win over the Mavs in Denver on Feb. 10. That game has been moved up and will now tip off at 7:30 p.m. CT, airing locally on Fox Sports Southwest. Great seats are still available and tickets can be purchased by visiting the American Airlines Center box office, logging on to Mavs.com or by calling 214-747-MAVS (6287).

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