NBA: Luka Doncic, Mavericks weather Clippers rally
Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates after hitting a three-point shot against the LA Clippers late in the fourth quarter against the LA Clippers at American Airlines Center on November 15, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. Tom Pennington/Getty Images/AFP
Luka Doncic scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Dorian Finney-Smith hit seven 3-pointers en route to 21 points and the Dallas Mavericks outlasted the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 103-101 on Tuesday.
Dallas dominated the first half, building a lead of as many as 25 points before intermission, thanks to suffocating defense. The Clippers — playing the second leg of a back-to-back — shot a woeful 11-for-32 (34.4 percent) from the floor in the first half.
Los Angeles battled back coming out of the locker room thanks to a complete reversal in its field-goal shooting.
Have a NIGHT, Luka Doncic.
35 PTS
11 REB
5 AST
3 STLThe Mavs win at home. pic.twitter.com/5Mjkm2pmtv
— NBA (@NBA) November 16, 2022
The Clippers went a blistering 23 of 32 (71.9 percent) from the floor in the second half and erased the deficit entirely when Nicolas Batum connected on a 3-pointer with 4:12 left in the game that gave the visitors an 89-87 lead.
Batum went 7 of 7 from the floor, all from beyond the 3-point arc, four of which came in the fourth quarter. He finished with 22 points off the bench.
Los Angeles led inside of the three-minute mark, but Finney-Smith knocked down one 3-pointer and Reggie Bullock sank two on three straight Dallas possessions, turning a three-point Clippers lead into a six-point Mavericks advantage in just 91 seconds.
Doncic added one more 3-pointer with 27.8 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach for Los Angeles.
LUKA MAGIC FOR THREE 🪄
Mavs lead by 4 with 27 seconds remaining. Watch live on the NBA App!
📲 https://t.co/1pomQZN8Pi pic.twitter.com/c41GGPDnCO
— NBA (@NBA) November 16, 2022
Dallas shot 17 of 43 from long range compared to 12 of 28 for Los Angeles. Bullock, who finished with 13 points, went 4 of 8 on his 3-point attempts.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 16 points and dished a team-high six assists, while Christian Wood added 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Mavericks.
Paul George led the Clippers with 23 points, matched Ivica Zubac’s team-high seven rebounds, and equaled Dinwiddie’s six assists, but also committed 10 turnovers. Los Angeles gave up 21 turnovers in total to Dallas’ 12.
Marcus Morris Sr. scored 18 points for the Clippers, while John Wall added 17 points off the bench in the loss.
