Game ID: 22400385
LA Clippers @ Dallas Mavericks
Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 8:30 PM ET
American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
DAL 23 31 20 39 113LAC 22 18 26 31 97
DAL vs LAC ScoutingDAL vs LAC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
DAL availability going into 12/07 · 1 day's restOUT Marshall missed 3 since 12/01, out tonight
OUT Edwards missed 3 since 12/01, out tonight
OUT Williams missed 8 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 12/01 after 5, 36 min since (102% of 36)
BACK Thompson back 12/03 after 4, 21 min since (76% of 27)
BACK Powell back 11/27 after 3, 8 min since (85% of 10)
DAL availability going into 12/10 · 2 days' restOUT Marshall missed 4 since 12/01, returns tonight: 29 min (104% of 28)
OUT Edwards missed 4 since 12/01, returns tonight: 1 min (6% of 15)
OUT Williams missed 9 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 12/01 after 5, 37 min since (103% of 36)
BACK Thompson back 12/03 after 4, 22 min since (81% of 27)
DAL availability going into 12/15 · 4 days' restOUT Kleber missed 2 since 12/07, out tonight
OUT Hardy missed 2 since 12/07, out tonight
OUT Williams missed 10 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 12/01 after 5, 38 min since (105% of 36)
BACK Marshall back 12/10 after 4, 29 min since (104% of 28)
BACK Thompson back 12/03 after 4, 24 min since (86% of 27)
BACK Edwards back 12/10 after 4, 1 min since (6% of 15)
DAL availability going into 12/19 · 3 days' restOUT Kleber missed 3 since 12/07, returns tonight: 13 min (71% of 19)
OUT Hardy missed 3 since 12/07, out tonight
OUT Williams missed 11 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Marshall back 12/10 after 4, 29 min since (104% of 28)
BACK Thompson back 12/03 after 4, 25 min since (91% of 27)
BACK Edwards back 12/10 after 4, 1 min since (6% of 15)
DAL availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Hardy missed 4 since 12/07, out tonight
OUT Williams missed 12 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Marshall back 12/10 after 4, 27 min since (96% of 28)
BACK Kleber back 12/19 after 3, 13 min since (71% of 19)
BACK Edwards back 12/10 after 4, 2 min since (10% of 15)
DAL availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Dončić missed 2 since 12/19, returns tonight: 30 min (83% of 36)
OUT Hardy missed 5 since 12/07, out tonight
OUT Williams missed 13 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Marshall back 12/10 after 4, 25 min since (89% of 28)
BACK Kleber back 12/19 after 3, 15 min since (80% of 19)
BACK Edwards back 12/10 after 4, 1 min since (9% of 15)
NEW Lively II 23 to 29 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Hardy missed 6 since 12/07, out tonight
OUT Williams missed 14 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 12/23 after 2, 30 min since (83% of 36)
BACK Marshall back 12/10 after 4, 22 min since (81% of 28)
BACK Kleber back 12/19 after 3, 15 min since (82% of 19)
BACK Edwards back 12/10 after 4, 3 min since (19% of 15)
DAL availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's restOUT Hardy missed 7 since 12/07, returns tonight: 1 min (6% of 16)
OUT Williams missed 15 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 12/23 after 2, 23 min since (64% of 36)
BACK Kleber back 12/19 after 3, 17 min since (92% of 19)
DAL availability going into 12/28 · back-to-backOUT Williams missed 16 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 12/23 after 2, 23 min since (64% of 36)
BACK Kleber back 12/19 after 3, 19 min since (101% of 19)
BACK Hardy back 12/27 after 7, 1 min since (6% of 16)
LAC availability going into 12/08 · 3 days' restOUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 12/01, returns tonight: 37 min (191% of 20)
BACK Powell back 12/01 after 6, 25 min since (76% of 33)
BACK Hyland back 12/03 after 2, 15 min since (133% of 11)
NEW Miller 11 to 19 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 12/13 · 4 days' restOUT Mann missed 2 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Powell back 12/01 after 6, 28 min since (86% of 33)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/08 after 3, 37 min since (191% of 20)
BACK Hyland back 12/03 after 2, 19 min since (172% of 11)
NEW Miller 11 to 21 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 12/16 · 2 days' restOUT Mann missed 3 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Powell back 12/01 after 6, 29 min since (87% of 33)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/08 after 3, 31 min since (157% of 20)
BACK Hyland back 12/03 after 2, 20 min since (177% of 11)
NEW Miller 11 to 22 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 12/19 · 2 days' restOUT Jones Jr. missed 2 since 12/13, returns tonight: 20 min (85% of 24)
OUT Mann missed 4 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/08 after 3, 29 min since (149% of 20)
BACK Hyland back 12/03 after 2, 18 min since (163% of 11)
NEW Miller 11 to 23 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Mann missed 5 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Jones Jr. back 12/19 after 2, 20 min since (85% of 24)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/08 after 3, 27 min since (137% of 20)
NEW Hyland 11 to 21 min over the last 4
NEW Miller 11 to 19 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Mann missed 6 since 12/04, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 12/19, out tonight
BACK Jones Jr. back 12/19 after 2, 19 min since (79% of 24)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/08 after 3, 27 min since (137% of 20)
LAC availability going into 12/27 · 3 days' restOUT Mann missed 7 since 12/04, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 12/19, out tonight
BACK Jones Jr. back 12/19 after 2, 20 min since (83% of 24)
LAC availability going into 12/30 · 2 days' restOUT Mann missed 8 since 12/04, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 4 since 12/19, out tonight
BACK Jones Jr. back 12/19 after 2, 22 min since (93% of 24)
LAC availability going into 12/31 · back-to-backOUT Mann missed 9 since 12/04, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 5 since 12/19, returns tonight: 17 min (156% of 11)
BACK Jones Jr. back 12/19 after 2, 24 min since (101% of 24)
NEW Powell 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Dunn 24 to 30 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 118, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 27 free throws a game; Dončić at 28 and Irving at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Hardy (4 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Powell at 23 and Harden at 21 a game. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Mann (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Dallas has been plus-5 a night and the Clippers minus-5 and the line, where Dallas takes 27 free throws a game to the Clippers' 19. Call it Dallas 115, the Clippers 111, the Clippers keeping it close.
12/07 @ TOR 125-118 — DAL notes
DAL won 125-118. DAL shot 47% (38 of 81) to TOR's 46%, 17 of 45 from three, and went to the line 37 times to TOR's 18 — 32 points from the stripe to their 17. DAL turned it over 18 times to TOR's 13, and TOR turned those into 13 steals. The glass went 52-39 for them. Dončić led with 30 (9 of 20, 6 of 13 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Irving added 29, Thompson 20. The hinge was Q2, 35-26: a lead of 7 became 16, and the lead reached 24.
12/10 @ OKC 104-118 — DAL notes
DAL lost 104-118. DAL shot 48% (38 of 80) to OKC's 46%, 15 of 36 from three, and went to the line 19 times to OKC's 7 — 13 points from the stripe to their 6. DAL turned it over 18 times to OKC's 13, and OKC turned those into 14 steals. Marshall led with 19 (7 of 11, 2 of 4 from three); Thompson added 19, Irving 17. Q2 was theirs, 30-25, the deficit cut from 8 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 93-74 against them. Thompson's -17 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/15 @ GSW 143-133 — DAL notes
DAL won 143-133. DAL shot 60% (52 of 87) to GSW's 48%, 21 of 41 from three, and went to the line 25 times to GSW's 11 — 18 points from the stripe to their 8. DAL turned it over 15 times to GSW's 10, and GSW turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 47-37 for them. Dončić led with 45 (16 of 23, 6 of 11 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Thompson added 29, Irving 21. The hinge was Q1, 46-33: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 19. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
12/19 vs LAC 95-118 — DAL notes
DAL lost 95-118. DAL shot 40% (34 of 86) to LAC's 52%, 7 of 30 from three, and went to the line 28 times to LAC's 17 — 20 points from the stripe to their 16. Thompson led with 22 (9 of 17, 2 of 9 from three); Dinwiddie added 19, Washington 14. Q1 was theirs, 30-24, but the other 3 periods went 94-65 against them. Grimes's -22 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/21 vs LAC 113-97 — DAL notes
DAL won 113-97. DAL shot 45% (40 of 88) to LAC's 42%, 14 of 35 from three. DAL turned it over 11 times to LAC's 17. Grimes led with 20 (7 of 8, 3 of 4 from three); Thompson added 16, Irving 15. The hinge was Q2, 31-18: a lead of 1 became 14, and the lead reached 17. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
12/23 vs POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Dončić at 30 and Thompson at 21 a game. Without Dončić (2 straight), Hardy (5 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 116, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 17 free throws a game; Simons at 22 and Sharpe at 19 a game. Without Thybulle (28 straight), Banton (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the arc, Dallas at 40 percent from three to Portland's 32 and the line, where Dallas takes 26 free throws a game to Portland's 17. Call it Dallas 118, Portland 110.
12/25 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Dončić at 29 and Thompson at 20 a game. Without Hardy (6 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 108, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Edwards at 20 and Randle at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the line, where Dallas takes 26 free throws a game to Minnesota's 18 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 108 a night to Dallas's 115. Call it Dallas 114, Minnesota 109.
12/27 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 116, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 30 and Beal at 23 a game. Without Booker (3 straight), Allen (2 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Dončić at 29 and Irving at 24 a game. Without Hardy (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Dallas 115, Phoenix 113, Phoenix keeping it close.
12/28 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 121, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 17 free throws a game; Sharpe at 21 and Avdija at 18 a game. Without Thybulle (30 straight), Williams III (2 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 103, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Irving at 24 and Thompson at 15 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Dallas wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Dallas allowing 103 a night to Portland's 121 and the glass, where Portland has been plus-1 a night and Dallas minus-3. Call it Dallas 114, Portland 110, Portland keeping it close.
12/08 vs HOU 106-117 — LAC notes
LAC lost 106-117. LAC took 10 more shots (92 to 82), but shot 45% to HOU's 49%, 11 of 34 from three, and got to the line 16 times to HOU's 26. LAC turned it over 7 times to HOU's 15. The glass went 33-50 against them. Hyland led with 22 (7 of 13, 5 of 10 from three); Zubac added 21, Porter Jr. 19. Q4 was theirs, 23-22, the deficit cut from 12 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 95-83 against them. Porter Jr.'s -18 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/13 @ DEN 98-120 — LAC notes
LAC lost 98-120. LAC shot 45% (37 of 83) to DEN's 55%, 14 of 41 from three, and got to the line 18 times to DEN's 32. The glass went 31-46 against them. Powell led with 16 (6 of 14, 3 of 10 from three); K. Porter Jr. added 16, Harden 15. Q2 was theirs, 25-19, the deficit cut from 7 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 101-73 against them. Coffey's -27 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/16 vs UTA 144-107 — LAC notes
LAC won 144-107. LAC shot 60% (49 of 82) to UTA's 45%, 21 of 39 from three. LAC turned it over 14 times to UTA's 22. Harden led with 41 (11 of 17, 7 of 11 from three, 12 of 14 at the line); Powell added 29, Zubac 19. The hinge was Q1, 44-20: from level to 24 ahead, and the lead reached 42. Powell was the night's best plus/minus at +33.
12/19 @ DAL 118-95 — LAC notes
LAC won 118-95. LAC shot 52% (44 of 85) to DAL's 40%, 14 of 33 from three, and got to the line 17 times to DAL's 28. Powell led with 29 (10 of 19, 4 of 8 from three); Harden added 24, Zubac 21. The hinge was Q3, 39-28: a lead of 1 became 12, and the lead reached 23. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
12/21 @ DAL 97-113 — LAC notes
LAC lost 97-113. LAC shot 42% (34 of 81) to DAL's 45%, 10 of 37 from three. LAC turned it over 17 times to DAL's 11, and DAL turned those into 12 steals. Powell led with 28 (8 of 22, 3 of 11 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Harden added 19, Porter Jr. 19. Q3 was theirs, 26-20, the deficit cut from 14 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 93-71 against them. Porter Jr.'s -16 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/23 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 45 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 19 and Morant at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Williams Jr. (14 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Harden at 25 and Powell at 24 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Mann (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Memphis wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Memphis has been plus-6 a night and the Clippers minus-4 and the arc, Memphis at 45 percent from three to the Clippers' 38. Call it Memphis 119, the Clippers 110.
12/27 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Powell at 26 and Harden at 24 a game. Without Mann (7 straight). 3 days' rest. Golden State comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 123, shooting 44 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Curry at 21 and Wiggins at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Waters III (3 straight), Post (17 straight), Anderson (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 109 a night to Golden State's 123 and the turnovers, the Clippers giving it away 16 times a game to Golden State's 12. Call it the Clippers 116, Golden State 109.
12/30 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 126, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Murphy III at 26 and McCollum at 20 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Williamson (23 straight), Alvarado (21 straight), Payton (10 straight). 2 days' rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 103, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Powell at 28 and Harden at 25 a game. Without Mann (8 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 103 a night to New Orleans's 126 and the arc, the Clippers at 38 percent from three to New Orleans's 34. Call it the Clippers 116, New Orleans 109.
12/31 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 104, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 30 and Vassell at 14 a game. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Powell at 29 and Harden at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Mann (9 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Clippers giving it away 17 times a game to San Antonio's 13. Call it San Antonio 110, the Clippers 107, the Clippers keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LACAC A. Coffey
DJ D. Jones Jr.
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
KD K. Dunn
KP K. Porter Jr.
MB M. Bamba
NB N. Batum
NP N. Powell
DALDG D. Gafford
DL D. Lively II
KI K. Irving
KT K. Thompson
MK M. Kleber
NM N. Marshall
PW P. Washington
QG Q. Grimes
SD S. Dinwiddie
LAC/DAL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Quentin Grimes leads bench scoring barrage as Mavericks beat Clippers 113-97 without Luka Doncic
DALLAS -- — Quentin Grimes scored 20 points off the bench, 14 in the fourth quarter, leading eight Mavericks in double figures as Dallas beat the Los Angeles Clippers 113-97 on Saturday night despite missing leading scorer Luka Doncic .
Doncic, fifth in the NBA with 28.9 points per game, missed his second consecutive game with a left heel contusion.
Klay Thompson scored 16 points, and Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie had 15 apiece.
Irving, Dallas’ second-leading scorer who averages 23.9 points, missed the previous game with a sore shoulder.
During one stretch midway through the final period, Grimes hit consecutive 3-pointers and was then fouled behind the arc on Dallas’ next shot and hit all three free throws.
Norman Powell scored 28 points for the Clippers, who split a two-game series at Dallas. James Harden and Kevin Porter Jr . each added 19.
The Mavericks outscored the Clippers 31-18 in the second period to lead 54-40 at halftime, outshooting them 47.8% to 22.2%.
Takeaways Clippers: Ivica Zubac had 13 points and 15 rebounds for his 19th double-double. Harden passed Tim Duncan to move into 16th place in NBA career scoring with 26,503 points.
Mavericks: Dereck Lively II had 11 points and 11 rebounds as Dallas improved to 6-2 without Doncic.
Key moment Irving was 1 of 10 and 0 of 3 on 3-pointers before hitting a second-chance 3 with 1:07 to play in the first half. From that point, he shot 5 of 15 with two 3-pointers.
Key stat The Mavericks led in bench points 46-24 paced by Grimes, Daniel Gafford with 13 and Naji Marshall with 12.
Up next The Clippers will finish a three-game road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. The Mavericks will host the Portland Trail Blazers in the third game of a four-game homestand.