It was a quiet night for Paul Pierce, but the Los Angeles Clippers made plenty of noise in a key road victory.
The Truth totaled just two points and three rebounds Monday night, but five Clips reached double figures in scoring in a comfortable 109-90 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The game was tight early, but the fourth-seeded Clippers ran away in the second half to secure their fourth win in five games.
Shooting guard JJ Redick carried the torch for the Clippers early with 10 points on five shots in the first quarter before center DeAndre Jordan took over in the second. The big man had 10 points in the second, six of which came from the charity stripe.
Through intentional fouling, the Mavericks tried to keep the Clippers from establishing a rhythm. Their strategy worked for awhile, and they took a 52-50 edge into intermission.
But Chris Paul was all business after the break.
“He zones out,” said Jamal Crawford, who totaled 15 points off the bench. “He’s lost in the game. You can totally see it.”
CP3 found his flow, outscoring the entire Dallas roster by two single-handedly with 18 points in the third period. The point guard created space for a few crafty shots, going 8-of-9 from the floor.
“We are very fortunate we get to witness greatness on pretty much a nightly basis,” said Redick, who tallied 22 points, including four triples. “That was kind of vintage Chris Paul, and that was greatness, for sure.”
L.A. held Dallas to 35 percent shooting in the second half, as they used a 45-12 run over both quarters to build a 32-point, 109-77, lead with 4:14 to play.
“Our defense in the second half was unbelievable,” coach Doc Rivers said.
L.A. shot 47 percent from the floor and 38 percent (12-of-32) from three, while holding Dallas to 37 and 16 percent (4-of-25), respectively. At one point, the Mavs missed 17 straight three-pointers, a testament to the Clippers’ perimeter defense.
“That’s why our coaches are so hard on us, because they see us have stretches of defending like this,” said CP3, who finished with 27 points and seven assists. “I think for us, all we’ve got to do is commit to doing it every night and every possession and see what happens.”
Jordan led the defensive effort with 20 boards, two steals and two blocks to go along with his season-high 23 points.
Dallas last led, 65-64, at the 4:53 mark of the third period. But then the Clippers took control to hand the Mavericks (33-31) their third straight loss.
WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS – MAR. 8
1. Golden State Warriors (56-6)
2. San Antonio Spurs (53-10) 3.5 GB
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (43-20) 13.5 GB
4. Los Angeles Clippers (41-21) 15 GB
5. Memphis Grizzlies (38-25) 18.5 GB
6. Dallas Mavericks (33-31) 24 GB
7. Portland Trail Blazers (33-31) 24 GB
8. Houston Rockets (31-32) 25.5 GB
NEXT UP
The Clippers (41-21) will face the Oklahoma City Thunder (43-20) for the second time this month, and if it’s anything like their first meeting, basketball fans are in for a treat.
L.A. stormed back from a 22-point deficit to edge Oklahoma City, 103-98, on March 2 in one of the most stunning games of the season.
The Clippers are 1.5 games behind the third-seeded Thunder, and Wednesday’s contest could surely have playoff implications. The game will broadcast nationally on ESPN, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. PT.
Oklahoma City has dropped six of its past nine games after most recently beating the Milwaukee Bucks, 104-96, on Sunday.
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