Dallas Mavericks 110 vs 104 Los Angeles Clippers summary: stats and highlights | Kyrie Irving’s Dallas debut
The Kyrie Irving era in Dallas got off to a perfect start as the Mavs went on the road and got a win against a tough Los Angeles Clippers team. The newest Dallas Maverick had 24 points to lead the team in the 110-104 win at the Crypto.com Arena.
Kyrie shines in debut
It was the trade that sent ripples across the league. The Mavericks stunned everyone when they brought in Kyrie to join forces with Luka Doncic in Dallas just months after getting to the Western Conference Finals. Doncic was still nursing a heel contusion suffered last week back to health so Irving had the spotlight shined bright on him and didn’t disappoint.
The Mavs got off to a blistering start in LA, lighting up the scoreboard hitting eight of their first ten three pointers in a nearly flawless first quarter led by Reggie Bullock who dropped his first five threes. Irving got his Mavs career started with a burst of eight straight points to help Dallas open up the lead. They put up 41 points, shot 60% from the field and didn’t turn the ball over once.
Bullock would cool down, and so would the Mavericks as the Clippers saw their one time 19 point deficit trimmed down to eight with a 12-2 run to end the second quarter. The Mavs seemed in control the entire first half, but Kawhi Leonard was nowhere to be found and LA was still in the game.
Doncic, Irving debut will have to wait
Leonard found his feet in the third quarter, dropping 13 points as the Clippers pulled to within a point just before the going into the fourth. In the end it wasn’t enough form Leonard or Paul George who combined for 38 points and were kept quiet in the final 12 minutes by the Mavs defense.
Kyrie and of all people Theo Pinson led the way in the fourth quarter. Pinson had all nine of his points in the last stanza, and they couldn’t have come at a better time. Just as it looked like the Clippers were on the verge of taking the lead, Pinson came though and helped the Mavs extend the advantage to double digits.
With a comfortable lead, Irving took control of the team late in the game and finished off the Clippers, and ended the night with 24 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. The win brings the Mavs to withing a game of the Clippers, as they await the return of Luka Doncic.
Not too bad of a debut for Kyrie Irving, who was the Mavs leading scorer in his debut for Dallas.
In a game packed with stars, it was Theo Pinson who came up with some massive buckets at the beginning of the fourth quarter to pull away from the CLips after they cut the lead to 1.
Kyrie felt right at home in his Mavs debut, as you can see from this deep three from the Crypto.com logo.
Dallas were playing flawless basketball in the first quarter and jumped out to a 41-25 lead after 12 minutes.
On Tuesday it was LeBron making history in Crypto,com Arena. On Wednesday Kyrie got his first bucket as a Dallas Maverick.
The Mavs jumped all over the Clippers in the first quarter, and Reggie Bullock was a big reason why. He hit his first five threes as the Mavs pulled ahead early .
IT'S ALL OVER!!! KYRIE IRVING WINS HIS MAVS DEBUT WITH A GAME HIGH 24 POINT PERFORMANCE!
With 16.3 to go, Hardaway goes to the line and makes it 6 point game going one of two from the stripe.
HARDAWAY WITH THE DAGGER THREE BALL!!!
Leonard fouled by Green and he hits two of two FTs.
Powell with the easy path to the rack for a jam.
Irving with a layup and he's got 24 points!
Powell to the line and he hits two of two.
Irving fouled by Mann on the shot and he hits both FTs. He's got 22 in his Mavs debut.
Hardaway Jr on the left side drive and gets the roll on the layup.
George gets the FT line jumper to drop and he's got 17.
Out of the timeout Powell gets the lay up to go off the Bullock dish inside.
Powell again! This time he gets the runner in the lane to go, and the Mavs need a TO with 4:06 to go in the fourth quarter.
Powell goes to the line after the foul on Wood, and he hits both FTs.
Wood with the jame off the Pinson assist in transition.
Jackosn hits the deep two from a step inside the arc in the right side corner.
Kyrie gets in the land and hits the jumper over Zubac. He's got 20 in his debut.
Powell drops the lay up on the drive and the Clips might just have a chance.
Leonard fouled by Bullock and he hits one of two at the line.
Pinson drops the three ball, and who would have thought that it would be Theo Pinson that was going to steal the headlines in Kyrie's debut?
Pnison got fouled by Batum and he drops one of two FTs.
George trying to get hot when it counts, and he hits the mid range jumper.
Green got fouled by Batum and hit two of two at the line.
Covington in the corner and he answers with a three ball!
Pinsono with some big minutes off the bench and he hits the three ball!
George is fouled by Irving and he hits one of two at the line.
Pinson with a drive after some good ball movement and gets an easy lay up to drop.
Irving gets the fourth quarter started with a dash to the rack and a lay up on the left side.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE THIRD QUARTER HERE FROM LA!!!
The Clips cut into the Mavs lead, but Dallas are still up by 3.
Leonard had 13 points in LA's third quarter surge.
Green gets the lay up of the assist from Pinson.
Poweel in the paint and drops the floater to cut the lead to 1.
Hardy in transition and the Mavs get a much needed bucket.
Leonard with a hand in his face drops the FT line jumper.
Leonard with the left handed floater in the land and he's in double digits this quarter.
Hardaway in the paint and he hits the fader out of the TO.
Leonard gets into traffic, and hits the short jumper to pull the Clips within three points.
DAL needs a timeout with 4:32 to go in the third quarter.
Hardaway Jr. hits a corner three, and Leonard responds with one of his own!
Leonard with the step back from the mid range.
Bullock finally makes a three after a cooling off since his hot start to the game.
Zubac with the stuff on Green at one basket and gets fouled under the other basket. He hits of of two FTs.
Geroge from the top of the key and he gets the long two to go.
Mann is fouled by Green and hits two FTs. He's the leading scorer tonight with 21 points.
Morris hits the elbow jumper out of the timeout.
Irving with another assist this time to Green in transtion and the Mavs are back up by 11.
LA takes a TO with 8:39 to go in the third quarter.
Powell with an easy lay up set up by the Irving assist.
Mann in the corner with a three ball off the George assist!
Irving with a three ball in transition!!! He's got 16 on the night.
Leonard gets a quick bucket in the second half after just 2 points in the first half.
Mann got fouled by Irving and he hit one of two FTs.
Powell follows his shot and gets the tip in to get us started in the 2nd half.
WE ARE BACK IN PLAY IN THE SECOND HALF FROM LA!!
PG finally got going in the second quarter. He's got 10 points, but Leonard has just 2 so far.
George and Leonard were asleep through the first quarter, so Mann had to do the heavy lifting, and he ended the half with 15 points.
The Mavs were hot coming out of the gate, but no one was hotter than Reggie Bullock who hit his first 5 threes, and the Mavs went 9/13 from DT in the opening quarter.
Kyrie is showing no signs of timidness in his first game with his new teammates. This was lauched from about 30 feet.
The Mavs were in complete control on the offensive and defense end to start the first quarter. Hardy got the slam and one after the big block down low.
Last night was all about LeBron in Crypto.com Arena. Tonight it's all about Kyrie. He got his Mavs career going with this mid range jumper. He's got 13 points at the half time break.
Dallas got off to a sizzling start in the first quarter, but let their lead slide at the end of the half. LA went on a 12-2 run to bring the one time 19 point lead to 8.
WE ARE HEADED TO HALF TIME WITH THE MAVS UP BY 8!
Zubac got to the rack, takes the contact, gets the bucket and goes to the line. FT is good and the lead is down to single digits.
Mann with a triple try and the lead is down to 11!
Mann returns the favor to Zubac down low with a lob and and ally fro the big man.
Hardaway on the alley oop to Powell for the easy finish.
Finally Leonard is on the scoreboard with a mid range J off the dribble.
George drills the step back three ball and he's starting to get going in this second quarter.
DAL wants a TO with under 4 to go in the half.
Green sticks a triple in the corner off the assist from Wright!
Green in transition with a tough finish at the rack after a Clips Turn over.
George with back to back buckets, this time on a drive to the bucket.
Wood fouled by Convington and he hits both FTs.
George is on the board for the first time in the second quarter with a mid range jumper out of the timeout. He and Kawhi have to get going sooner rather than later.
Irving from the logo and he's got 13 points on the night! He's been scoring in spurts and the Clips need a timeout down 16 with under 7 to go in the half.
Powell on the layup and he's got the only points of the quarter for the Clips.
Irving driving down the lane and gets the finger roll to drop. He's got 10 points in his debut.
Powell with a second straight three ball!
Powell pulls the trigger off the dribble and hits the long range attempt!
Hardy dashing down the lane and exploding to the bucket for the slam AND 1! FT is good!
Jackson in the lane and he gets the hook shot to go!
Wood starts the second quarter with a turnaround jumper in the lane.
Powell fits the pull up on the baseline as the buzzer sounds and that brings us to the end of the first quarter!
What a start for the Mavs! They went 9/13 from downtown, and shot 60% from the field.
Hardy fouled by Powell and he goes to the stripe and hits one of two.
Powell fouled by McGee and he hits both FTs.
Bullock finds McGee on the pick and roll and he throws it down for his first bucket of the game.
Hardaway follows up his own miss and gets the tip in after the timeout.
Hardaway on the pull up three ball, and the Mavs have 9 first quarter three pointers!!!
LA needs a timeout with 2:14 to go in the first quarter.
Jackson from the top of the key and he drills the three ball!
Hardy gets the floater to drop from outside the lane.
Zubac got a tip in, but on the other end of the floor Bullock hits his 5th three ball of the night!!!
Bullock with another three ball and he's 4/4 from DT!!!
Mann in the corner for three, and he's got 12 of the CLips 16 points!
Green gets fouled by George and he gets one of two to drop.
Mann going back at the rack after the George assist
Mann on the pull up and he's one of the few people clicking for the Clippers.
Irving with 8 straight points, after another triple try!
Zubac fouled by Bullock after the offensive board, and he goes to the line and hits one of two.
Kyrie in the corner for three and he's got 5 quick points!
IRVING IS ON THE BOARD WITH A MID RANGE FADE AWAY AND HIS MAVS CAREER HAS OFFICIALLY BEGAN
OUt of the timeout Green gets the steal and the slam. He's coming off of a big night, can he repeat in LA tonight?
Bullock with back to back triples and he's got three long balls already!!!
DAL is 4/5 from DT, and the Clips are 2/2.
Timeout LA less than three minutes in.
George drops the three ball and both teams came out scorching from downtown!
Powell on the tip slam following up the Kyrie miss.
Mann on the drive to the bucket and he has the first 5 points of the game.
Bullock from long range and this game has got off to a quick pace!
Mann answers back with a three ball and the Clippers are on the board.
Irving missed his first shot as a Mav, but Hardaway Jr. drops the three on the second chance points.
WE ARE UNDERWAY IN LA!!!
The Kyrie Irving era begins in Dallas.
Busy week at Crypto.com
Kyire is geared up and ready to make his Mavs debut from Crypto.com Arena, the same place his great friend and former teammate LeBron James became the NBA's All-Time scorer.
Tonight's odds
According to Bet365.com the Clippers are an 8 point favorite at home with the Over/Under set at 220.5.
Getting Irving is going to help the Mavs in the long run, no question. But it’s tough to throw someone into the fire and expect them to be able to carry the team, especially a team without Luka Doncic. I’m taking the Clippers -8 as they return home from a long road trip.
Doncic out tonight.
Luka Doncic was injured in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the beginning of this month, and test ruled he suffered a heel contusion and was considered a minor injury. He has missed the last two Mavs games, and will sit out again tonight in LA as Dallas conintues to treat their super star back to 100%. It is not known when he is expected to return, but when it does the anticipation will be at an all time high to see him and Irving in the same backcourt.
Kyrie on and off the court
Kyrie is a superstar on the court, but off the court he can create headaches for his teams, the franchise and the fans. He is a man of his word, and doesn’t bite his tongue when asked to express his beliefs. His strict anti Covid conviction cost him and the Nets dearly. He was forced to sit out the first half of last year because of NYs limitations on public and sporting events for the unvaccinated. Then came the like of a post on social media with antisemetic epithets. The Nets would eventually suspend him until he completed a series of tasks laid out by the team. He ended up sitting out 5 games, and once he was traded to the Mavericks he erased his apology to the Jewish community that he posted. On the court he is a phenom, and that’s all the Mavs hope he will be during his time in Dallas.
Western Conference Standings
Taking a look at the NBA Standings coming into tonight the Nuggets are at the top of the Western Conference with a record of 38-17. The Grizzlies and surprisingly the Sacramento Kings sit right behind the Nugs in second and third and the Clippers round out the top 4 with a record of 31-26, 8 games back of Denver. The Mavericks are two spots under the Clippers, but sit just a game back from the Clippers at 29-26.
Kyrie’s first look as a Mav
Kyrie Irving hasn’t had much time to get acclimated to coach Jason Kidd’s system, but that shouldn’t matter too much. Ballers ball, and that exactly what Irving is. Tonight he will look to shine in one of the temples of basketball. Nothing is going to come easy against Kawhi, and Paul George tonight from the Crypto.com Arena.
Clips are back home
Kawhi and the Clippers are one of the dark horses in the Western Conference now that they finally have their fearsome twosome healthy. He and Paul George are still getting their bearings and their chemistry is growing by the game. Tonight the Clips return him after a successful six game road trip hoping to shut down Kyrie in his debut.
Clips last time out
The Clippers finished off their six game road trip in Brooklyn with a 124-116 win over the Nets. Kyrie was traded earlier that day, and Cam Thomas rose to the occasion to the tune of 47 points, but it wasn’t enough to take down Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the Clippers. LA returns home now having won four of six road games as the Clips bench outscored the Nets bench 38-10.
Mavs last time out
The Irving trade went down on Sunday, but the former NBA champion couldn’t make Monday’s game in Utah in time, so Dallas had neither Kyrie nor Luka in their game against the Jazz. Josh Green stepped up in the absence of the stars and carried the Mavs with a 29 point performance. Utah jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter, but Dallas dominated the final three quarters to take the 124-111 road win in Salt Lake City.
We are live from Crypto.com
Hello everyone and welcome to Los Angeles where we await the highly anticipated Mavericks debut of Kyrie Irving after the trade of the season went down a few days ago. The Mavericks got to the Western Conference Finals last season, and are looking to make the next step to get the franchise back to the Finals. Dallas has been sliding down the Western Conference standings over the last few weeks, and Mark Cuban pulled the trigger on the trade to bring Irving to Big D. The Clippers are finally home after a six game road trip and ready to ruin the Kyrie’s big night.
Mavs vs. Clippers
The Dallas Mavericks made the trade of the NBA season when they brought in Kyrie Irving in an all in move that let’s you know they want to win and win now. Tonight Irving will debut with his new team as the Mavericks travel to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s game from Crypto.com Arena.