Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (left) is congratulated by guard Luka Doncic (77) after scoring in the third quarter of a game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Takeshita-Imagn Images
The Dallas Mavericks’ 5-7 start to the NBA season now seems like a distant memory.
Dallas has improved to 12-2 after getting off to a slow start and will look to carry momentum into Thursday’s matchup with the visiting Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of a mini-two-game set. The teams will play again Saturday in Dallas.
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Los Angeles ended its losing streak at three games with a 144-107 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday, led by James Harden’s stellar performance, scoring 41 points on seven 3-pointers.
Read: NBA: Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson help Mavericks beat Warriors
The Clippers defeated the host Golden State Warriors 143-133 on Sunday, winning their last two regular season games against Dallas. (Last season, the Mavericks defeated the Clippers in six games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.)
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Luka Doncic recorded his third triple-double of the season with a season-high 45 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds in the win over the Warriors. Klay Thompson scored 29 points and Kyrie Irving added 21 points.
The Clippers have struggled to contain Doncic throughout his career. The five-time All-Star is averaging 32.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 18 regular season games with Los Angeles.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd briefly explained the team’s recent success after a shaky first few weeks.
Read: Doncic’s second consecutive triple-double helps Mavericks defeat Raptors
“We just got more comfortable with each other,” Kidd said. “Sometimes it takes time. The first two weeks of the season, we had injuries coming out of camp, so we just had to get used to each other. You guys have done a really good job with that. Everyone wants to stay undefeated. But when you lose, you learn how to come back and be better, and this group did that at a high level.”
Kidd also praised second-year center Derek Lively II, who averaged 8.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.
“D-Live’s work ethic, his leadership, his understanding of his role, his energy and what he brings to the team is great,” Kidd said. “You can see his growth. Every time he speaks, he’s added something. There’s a lot of trust that his teammates have in Rob, giving us second and third chances.” His ability to help is also great.”
Read: NBA: Mavericks bring back guard AJ Lawson
Lively will be tasked with slowing down Harden, who is averaging 22.1 points, 8.3 assists and 6.5 rebounds. The 35-year-old plays 33.7 minutes per game.
“He knows his body really well,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “He works hard every day. We’re just trying to get him to play less and choose what he can do because he’s playing a lot of minutes in these games. I just want to make sure he’s healthy all the time and he’s doing a good job with it. ”
Harden has a bigger job on his hands while the Clippers wait for Kawhi Leonard to make his season debut. Leonard is out with inflammation in his right knee, and the team is also without forward Derrick Jones Jr. (hamstring).
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“Regardless of who came here, I give credit to the players, the players,” Lue said. “When guys aren’t playing, we always go on the floor every night because we feel like we have a chance to win. We just have to find a way to win.” –Field level media
