Sluggish Clippers can’t catch Kyrie Irving, Mavericks in loss
The Clippers’ Paul George controls the ball as the Dallas Mavericks’ Reggie Bullock defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, right, follows through after shooting as Clippers guard Terance Mann defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban celebrates after guard Kyrie Irving scored during the first half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Norman Powell, center, shoots as Dallas Mavericks forward Christian Wood defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving watches from the bench during the first half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green goes up for a shot as Clippers forward Paul George defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Terance Mann, right, shoots as Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving shoots as Clippers center Ivica Zubac defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, left, celebrates with teammates forward Tim Hardaway Jr., center, and forward Reggie Bullock during a timeout in the first half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green dunks during the first half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks center JaVale McGee, right, grabs a rebound away from Clippers forward Moussa Diabate during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy, left, shoots as Clippers forward Moussa Diabate defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving handles the ball as Clippers guard Terance Mann defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Shelly Sterling, center, sits with Jalen Rose, left, during the first half of a game between the Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving drives past Clippers guard Terance Mann during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Norman Powell shoots as Dallas Mavericks center JaVale McGee defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving inbounds the ball as the Clippers’ Terance Mann defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Clippers forward Markieff Morris takes a shot during the first half of their game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks’ Reggie Bullock holds the ball as the Clippers’ Paul George defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard shoots as Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green, right, shoots as Clippers forward Nicolas Batum defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, center, scrambles for a ball along with Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, and forward Paul George during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. shoots as Dallas Mavericks center JaVale McGee defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell, left, shoots as Clippers center Ivica Zubac defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, right, tries to pass while under pressure from Clippers forward Paul George, left, and forward Kawhi Leonard during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Clippers’ Terance Mann takes a shot in front of the Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving (2) takes a shot as the Clippers’ Nicolas Batum defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving, left, and Reggie Bullock celebrate a play during the first half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green, right, shoots as Clippers guard Terance Mann defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving celebrates during the second half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving, right, and McKinley Wright IV celebrate during the second half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — This was an up-close glimpse of what could have been. A veteran point guard taking and making shots, in essence, making himself at home on the Crypto.com Arena floor.
Kyrie Irving, the mercurial point guard, showed up in Los Angeles on Wednesday – not as a member of the Clippers but wearing a brand-new Dallas Mavericks uniform.
“You can see how good he is, so I think this should be really fun,” Doncic said in an interview on ESPN on Wednesday.
Doncic, who is nursing a heel contusion, was not in uniform for Irving’s solid debut with the Mavericks, but he was in the building to see his new teammate get jeered by the Clippers crowd on his first possession and watch him score 24 points in Dallas’ 110-104 victory.
Irving, who is averaging 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists this season, also had four rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes.
Irving’s play didn’t surprise anyone on the other side of the court. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said he expected him to “play with a lot of pop in his first game,” while Paul George said “Kyrie had a lot of juice. You could tell he was fresh. New team, new environment, new group. So, I thought they just came out with a new attitude.”
The newest Maverick said he was happy to get his debut game over. “It’s the first time I ever got traded in the middle of the season, so it was new for me, but I’m excited that I’m here.”
As it turned out, Irving wasn’t the only player the Clippers needed to focus on. Reggie Bullock scored 18 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 15, Josh Green added 14 and Dwight Powell had 10.
Meanwhile, the Clippers’ fatigue after their longest road trip of the season was evident. Several times in the second half, the Clippers pulled to within one point of tying the score but couldn’t get stops on the other end.
The Clippers closed to within 81-78 at the end of the third quarter but the Mavericks went on a 13-6 run to take a 10-point lead with 6:41 left in the game. The Mavericks’ Theo Pinson scored all nine of his points during the run, giving the Clippers one more player they had to worry about.
The Clippers managed to find an extra gear late in the fourth, going on a 9-4 run to cut the lead to 98-93. After Dallas scored, George scored on a short jumper to keep the score within five. He later buried a 3-pointer to trim the lead to five again with 16.7 seconds left.
A foul by Terance Mann sent Hardaway Jr. to the free-throw line to push the Mavericks’ lead to 110-104 and the Clippers (31-27) saw their modest two-game winning streak end despite getting solid performances from Norman Powell (24 points), Mann (21), George (20) and Kawhi Leonard (18). The Clippers have won eight of their past 11 overall.
Lue has said that one of the toughest games any team can play is the first one after returning home from a long trip. That was apparently true for the Clippers on Wednesday.
Playing their first game after a six-game Eastern swing, the Clippers trailed by as many as 19 in the first half. Not helping matters was the slower-than-usual start by their stars. Leonard scored his first and only points of the first half on a 15-footer with 3:14 remaining, while George had just 10 points and two assists in 15 minutes.
Lue said the stars’ minutes were limited – and will be until the All-Star break – by design in an effort to keep them healthy.
Others, however, picked up the slack down the stretch, namely Mann and Ivica Zubac (nine points, 10 rebounds), to cut the Mavericks’ lead to 60-52 at the half.
Kawhi Leonard has 35 points, Clippers outlast Knicks in OT
Irving made his presence known early, scoring eight points on a jumper and back-to-back 3-pointers during a 13-0 run.
He had 13 first-half points, including a 29-footer to push the Mavericks to a 51-35 lead with 6:55 left, leading Lue to call a timeout. It didn’t slow the Mavericks, who continued to shred the Clippers’ defense in the first half.
Fouls and a few costly turnovers gave the Clippers an opening, and they responded by scoring eight consecutive points in the final two minutes to narrow the Mavericks’ lead.
Lue said the goal in the three games left before the All-Star break is just to finish strong.
“We’ve been on a great road,” he said. “We’ve been playing good basketball. We lost tonight, but (we can’t) let the defeat snowball.”
