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DeAndre Jordan was returning to LA as a Maverick after spending his first ten seasons in the league with the Clippers. The emotion in the arena was palpable as we witnessed one quality basketball game between two talented professional teams.
The Clippers held their nerve down the stretch to imprint a 125-121 victory on the visiting DJ & his Mavericks side. Luka impressed in ways unexpected from a teenager, but the Clippers ended up snapping their four-game losing streak with an impressive win in this one.
Ironically, this was the Mavericks' fourth consecutive loss as they drop to an even 15-15 on the season at the 11th spot in the West. They have now lost five of their last ten games and host a pitiful 2-12 (win-loss) record on the road while staying a dominant 13-3 at home. They are currently six games behind the Western Conference leaders in the Denver Nuggets.
The Clippers, however, are still in good shape with an 18-13 record in the 6th place out West, even after dropping four straight before this one. The former Western Conference leaders have been disappointing lately, losing seven of their previous ten clashes.
Let's draw out some key takeaways from this breakthrough Clippers victory in DeAndre's return to LA:
#1 Luka Doncic is turning into something much more than just the 'Rookie of the Year'
Doncic has clearly separated himself from the rest of his rookie draft class, as he now averages a blistering 18.8 points, with 6.6 rebounds and almost 5 assists per game on the season.
This was his fourth 20+ score in the last five games, as the Clippers lost four of their last five. In this loss against Doc's Clippers, the Slovenian finished dropped 32 points, dished out five assists and also recorded four steals. He shot a decent 10-of-20 from the field and netted half of his three-point attempts. He drew contact all night, attempting a game-high 13 free throws and making nine of them.
He nailed a few dazzling stepback three-pointers and showed the confidence with which he can play on the road right in his very first season in the NBA. The teenager has lived up to every single expectation that was stacked against him before the season started and has portrayed what three years worth of professional experience in the Euroleague looks like.
#2 The return of Lou Williams provided a much-needed lift for the Clippers
Williams missed the last four games due to injury, but his return marked an important breakthrough win for his plummeting team. The Former NBA's sixth-man of the year scored 13 of his 26 points during the fourth quarter to help the Clippers hold off the Dallas Mavericks and contributed eight assists as well.
He has been averaging 17.5 points per game this season and played a huge role in the 12-point Clippers rally in the final minutes of this game to ice it once and for all.
Doc Rivers knows what Lou brings to the table and he aptly summed it up after he helped his team get an important win,
"Lou was fantastic. Early on I thought his passing was fantastic and then he started the scoring barrage down the stretch," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "He gives us a confidence when you have him on the floor. It's not necessarily you are going to go to him but he is going to be involved."
#3 Los Angeles shot their lights out to edge past Dallas
Los Angeles Clippers are one of the best shooting teams around, as their three-point shooting percentage of 37 is the fourth best in the league right now. LA's free throw conversion is also currently the best, and they most certainly did not disappoint in this game.
Danilo Gallinari led the way for the Clippers, dropping a team-high 32 points on 11-of-16 shooting, netting three of his six three-point attempts. The return of veteran Lou Williams saw him shoot a dazzling 9-of-12 from the bench for the second-best total of 26 points, while the Clippers as a unit, shot 47-of-83, bringing their shooting percentage to an impressive 56% on the night.
They shot 80% from the free-throw line, but could only manage 6-of-30 from the three-point line against the Mavericks. Another bright spot came from Montrezl Harrell who contributed 18 points, shooting 9-of-13 from the floor.
