Preview Mavericks vs. Clippers: 3 things as Dallas meets Los Angeles again!

Dallas will get another bite in the apple when they face the LA Clippers in the second game of their two-game miniseries. It is also the second game of a four-game homestand that runs through Christmas. Hopefully, the familiarity and comforts of home can help the Mavericks get over the hump of the various illnesses and injuries that have plagued the team over the past month.

Lace them up?

Dallas lost the first of this doubleheader but was without both of their all-star guards. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both sat out, but the news at the time of writing is that Irving went through a full practice while Doncic was able to get on the floor and shoot but was not a full participant in practice.

It certainly looks better for Irving than Doncic at this point, but there’s still a chance we’ll see both play Saturday night.

Defense is a team sport

The hope, of course, is that one or both of Doncic and Irving will be available, but in the event that they are not, the Mavericks’ path to victory will be very narrow. Those two not on the court means Dallas has to find a way to recoup the roughly 53 points they contribute on an average night. Not easy, as evidenced by the 95 points Dallas managed on Thursday – the team’s lowest this season by a wide margin.

Shooting better than 23% from deep will help, but sticking to the game and playing some team defense will go a long way to keep the Mavs in the game. Keeping the Clippers below a 50/40/90 team would be a good start.

The knife factor

It goes without saying that Dallas will need big nights from their bonafide scorers. Guys like Klay Thompson and Spenser Dinwiddie can always have big nights. PJ Washington is another guy Dallas can count on for a bucket most nights. Although his defensive responsibilities may diminish his contributions on the offensive end of the floor.

Naji Marshall, on the other hand, is a player who stepped up big the last time Doncic missed overtime. He had a stretch of four games scoring more than 20 points. On Thursday, he got those shots up, but went just 4-of-12 from the field. There is room for improvement there. A little more on the perimeter from guys like Kleber, Gafford and Grimes, and Dallas has enough depth to pull off a rough win.

That’s how you see

You can broadcast or stream the game on NBAtv, Channel 29 or MavsTV at 7:30