A good Western Conference matchup between the Suns and Rockets will top a five-game slate in the NBA on Tuesday. Phoenix could use a good win as it attempts to keep hold of the No. 8 playoff seed in the West.
The Clippers visited Dallas on Monday to play the second game since it was announced Blake Griffin was going to miss an estimated 4-6 weeks with a staph infection in his elbow. They had been inconsistent all season long and their last two losses — blowouts to the Raptors and the Thunder — exposed serious defensive flaws that were directly linked to effort. Without Griffin they had the perfect excuse to fold and accept a slide in the standings. Instead, they pulled off a quality win, showing resilience in the face of adversity.
The victory didn’t come without caveats. Both Monta Ellis and Tyson Chandler had to leave the court in the first quarter with injuries and didn’t return. Chandler’s absences left the Mavericks shorthanded inside and with a huge height disadvantage that DeAndre Jordan capitalized on by getting 22 points and a career-high 27 rebounds. Without Ellis the Mavericks perimeter attack was weakened and Richard Jefferson had to play heavy minutes, which has not been a recipe for success in years. Even with those unforeseen circumstances conspiring against the Mavericks’ chances, it still was a gutsy win for the Clippers in a game they controlled from the start.
Chris Paul scored 25 points on 15 shots and dished out 13 assists while orchestrating the offense beautifully. J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford combined for 37 points and even the bench, a weakness in most nights, stepped up. Hedo Turkoglu and Austin Rivers provided quality minutes as the Clippers matched the Mavericks’ small lineups. Charlie Villanueva scored a season high 26 points off the bench for Dallas but with the injuries depleting them early and Dirk Nowitzki being tentative and only attempting 11 field goals, they had no shot of matching the Clippers’ firepower, even without Griffin.
The Mavericks can chalk up the loss to Chandler and Ellis having to leave the game and focus on getting some depth inside to prevent getting exposed when Chandler misses time or is in foul trouble. Just like the Clippers, they have struggled against quality teams and have serious question marks about their defense but adding a solid third big and having Rajon Rondo return could get them back to contender status.
For the Clippers this win could be the first step into making the best out of a bad situation, seizing the opportunity to develop some depth that could come in handy in the playoffs and regain the focus they lost along the way. It’s not enough to wash away the bad taste the last two games left but it’s a start.
3 other things we learned
Gregg Popovich has had a unique career. The Spurs narrowly beat the Pacers in Indiana, looking as vulnerable as they have all season in the process. What makes the win special is the fact that it was Pop’s 1,000th as a coach. “I’ve been here for a while and I’ve had good players,” Popovich said. “That’s the formula.” Pop is only the second coach to get 1,000 wins with just one team after Jerry Sloan and the only one to have done it while coaching for only one franchise. These days it’s hard to imagine any coach spending his entire career with a single organization so anyone who reaches the milestone will likely do it under different circumstances. Pop’s career has been unique an unlikely to be replicated.
Gordon Hayward is earning his max contract. The Jazz beat the Pelicans in New Orleans, taking advantage of the absence of Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson to get their 19th win of the season. Gordon Hayward led the way with 32 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. It was Hayward’s second standout performance in a row after dropping 30 on the Kings on Saturday. He’s averaging 19.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists and shooting 46.2 percent from the floor. The Jazz are slowly improving and Hayward is a big reason why this season they will likely eclipse their win total from last year.
The Thunder look playoff-bound. The Thunder won their fourth out of the last five games by beating the Nuggets comfortably in Denver. They are now tied with the Pelicans for ninth in the West and only 1.5 games back from the Suns for the final playoff spot. After Russell Westbrook’s killer week, it was Kevin Durant who went supernova this time, dropping 40 on just 19 shots in the second game of a back-to-back after scoring 29 and dishing out six assists against the Clippers on Sunday. The schedule doesn’t get easy for the Thunder for a while but if Durant can return to his MVP-level and Westbrook can continue to be dominant, it might not matter who is the opponent on any given night.
Play of the night
K.J. McDaniels is one of the best reasons to watch the 76ers. He uses his athleticism to make highlight plays regularly, like throwing an alley-oop to himself off the backboard:
The 76ers unsurprisingly lost the game but with McDaniels and Jerami Grant on the court, they are a fun young team to watch.
6 fun things
Stephen Curry is a big Mo’ne Davis fan.
Carmelo Anthony would have made a great bowler.
It was Stars Wars night in Dallas and that means fans in goofy costumes.
The Thunder have the best handshakes in the league.
Kevin Durant is a bad m**********, according to Kevin Durant
A Marshawn Lynch impression, a proud mom and an appearance by Matt Barnes. This DeAndre Jordan interview has it all.
Final scores
Spurs 95, Pacers 93 (Pounding the Rock recap | Indy Cornrows recap)
Warriors 89, 76ers 84 (Golden State of Mind recap | Liberty Ballers recap)
Wizards 98, Magic 80 (Bullets Forever recap | Orlando Pinstriped post)
Heat 109, Knicks 95 (Hot Hot Hoops recap | Posting and Toasting recap)
Bucks 103, Nets 97 (Brew Hoop recap | Nets Daily recap)
Hawks 117, Timberwolves 105 (Peachtree Hoops recap | Canis Hoopus recap)
Jazz 100, Pelicans 96 (SLC Dunk recap | The Bird Writes recap)
Clippers 115, Mavericks 98 (Clips Nation recap | Mavs Moneyball recap)
Thunder 124, Nuggets 114 (Welcome to Loud City recap | Denver Stiffs recap)
★★★
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