Mavs struggle late against Clippers for 3rd loss in a row
DALLAS (AP) -- Chris Paul scored 18 of his 27 points when Los Angeles took control in the third quarter, DeAndre Jordan had 23 points and 20 rebounds amid another round of boos in Dallas and the Clippers beat the Mavericks 109-90 Monday night.
Paul outscored the Mavericks by himself in the third while going 8 of 9 from the field, punctuating it with a leaning one-handed shot in the lane before the buzzer for a 33-16 advantage in the quarter for the Clippers, who trailed by two at halftime.
The boos were still strong for Jordan's second game in Dallas since he spurned the Mavericks in free agency after agreeing to join them. The 6-foot-11 center from Houston responded with a season high in points and even made most of his free throws (11 of 19) after delighting the crowd with an air ball in the first half. It was his fifth career 20 point, 20 rebound game.
Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 22 points.
After his hot third quarter, Paul hit consecutive jumpers early in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer, to push the LA lead to 19, and the Clippers kept rolling. They went on a 45-12 run over the third and fourth quarters, turning a 65-64 deficit into a 109-77 lead with 4:14 remaining.
J.J. Redick scored 10 points in the first quarter and finished with 22, going 9 of 14 from the field, including 4 of 6 from long range. He was coming off a 4-of-13 showing from the field in a loss to Atlanta, when the Clippers blew a 17-point lead.
The Mavericks led by two at halftime but shot 35 percent in the second half and matched a season high with their third straight loss. On Sunday, they gave away a win in Denver with a botched inbounds play in the final seconds of regulation in an overtime loss.
Just as in his first appearance in November when Dallas won handily, Jordan was booed every time he touched the ball and gave fans plenty of fodder in the first half. He missed a dunk that wouldn't have counted after a whistle, then brought fans to their feet with an air ball while missing 6 of 8 free throws following intentional fouls.
But Jordan still had his 38th double-double before halftime and his first game with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds this season. The NBA leader in field-goal percentage made six of seven shots, and one of the league's worst from the line was at 58 percent for the game -- 16 percent better than his average.
The Mavericks played all their starters on a back-to-back in a season in which coach Rick Carlisle has been known to rest all five on the second night. But they weren't around long in the second half once Paul, who also had seven assists, took over.
Chandler Parsons had nine points of 3-of-12 shooting, and Wesley Matthews missed all six of his shots and finished with two points.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Coach Doc Rivers said Blake Griffin still hasn't been cleared for contact. He's been out since Dec. 26 with a broken right hand and torn right quadriceps tendon. ... Jordan had at least 10 rebounds for the 19th straight game, longest streak in the NBA this season.
Mavericks: Dallas matched a franchise record with its 11th overtime game Sunday in Denver. It's the most in the NBA this season. The Mavericks fell to 7-4 with the 116-114 loss. The seven wins are a club record. ... David Lee had 13 points and eight rebounds.
UP NEXT:
Clippers: At Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.
Mavericks: Host Detroit on Wednesday night.
