Dallas Mavericks

LA Clippers roll past Mavericks 124-104, stay undefeated on road

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The LA Clippers win 124-104 in a rout against the Dallas Mavericks, with their bench having a strong showing to improve to 14-2.

Austin Rivers went off for 22 points and hit 6-of-7 three-pointers to help the LA Clippers (14-2) soar past the Dallas Mavericks (2-12) in the first contest of a six-game road trip.

The Clippers needed a spark after a slow start and that is what Jamal Crawford and Rivers brought when they came in toward the end of the first quarter. Crawford and Rivers hit two threes each in the last 43 seconds of the first quarter to finish the first period six points ahead.

The starters and bench opened the game up in the second quarter getting out in transition and getting easy looks to finish off the second quarter up 23, holding the Mavericks to just 19 points with their typically stout defense.

The Clippers finished the half shooting 61 percent and went 9-of-13 from deep.

Chris Paul dropped 18 points and four steals in 26 minutes of action. DeAndre Jordan added 16 points with eight rebounds. Blake Griffin had a quiet night with 12 points and seven assists.

For the Mavericks, it was their new go-to scorer,Harrison Barnes, leading the way with 22 points. Dirk Nowitzki scored 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting in limited minutes to ease him back from a right Achilles soreness. Wesley Matthews added an efficient 18 points, finishing 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.

The Clippers’ starters might not have shot the lights out, but they were able to put the bench in and have the night off after the third quarter. Which, at this stage with an excellent record and the playoffs in mind, should be the priority. The starters staying rested is key.

L.A. lost the rebounding battle by the smallest margin on 44-43, but controlled the game elsewhere and hit 15 threes at a 46.9 percent rate. They also continued to put their quick hands to use with 11 steals and 23 fastbreak points.

Clippers bench on full display

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Marreese Speights scored 16 on 5-of-8 shooting, while Crawford added 15. The bench was able to stretch leads and keep them.

The only minus player for the night was Brandon Bass.

In fact, the Clippers’ second unit was good enough to have a 65-43 advantage of the Mavericks’.

Mavericks missing key pieces

Dirk Nowitzki was limited to 20 minutes.

Deron Williams could see action within the next week.

Devin Harris continues to be sidelined, but practiced yesterday for the first time since injuring his foot in the preseason.

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Notes

Speights had his first double-double with a season-high 12 rebounds. The LA Clippers play again on Friday against Detroit. In their previous match up against the Pistons, the Clippers blew them out 114-82. Detroit is 6-2 at home and will try to avenge an early season loss.

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