Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Postgame Grades and Analysis
Fresh off a dominant victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers rolled through Saturday's game against the Dallas Mavericks, riding stellar offensive play to a 120-100 win.
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin turned in All-Star nights, while Jamal Crawford sealed the deal off the bench.
Though Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis put up respectable numbers, Dallas ran out of options on offense and struggled to keep up defensively in a duel between two Western Conference title contenders.
| Chris Paul | A |
| Blake Griffin | A+ |
| DeAndre Jordan | B+ |
| J.J. Redick | B+ |
| Rest of Team | B |
| Dirk Nowitzki | B+ |
| Rajon Rondo | D |
| Monta Ellis | A- |
| Tyson Chandler | C |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
Los Angeles Clippers
Chris Paul: A
There's a reason as to why Chris Paul is often discussed as the league's best point guard. When he is playing at a high level, the rest of the offense inevitably follows suit.
Such was the case Saturday night, when Paul went head-to-head with one of the league's other pure point guards in Rajon Rondo. If there was any question as to who is the better floor general, Paul laid the argument to rest with a dominant 17-point, 13-assist performance in L.A.'s win.
The crux of his outstanding outing came in the third quarter, when Paul's nine points and five assists set the foundation for the Clippers to extend their lead, as they posted 32 points in the period.
Having completely taken over the game, both as a scorer and as a facilitator, Paul was able to pick apart Dallas' defense—the primary reason as to why Los Angeles was able to dance away with the easy victory.
Blake Griffin: A+
A few nights after posting 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists against the Los Angeles Lakers, Griffin continued his reign of dominance against Dallas, using his versatility to leave an impact in every facet of the game.
He was L.A.'s best scorer, posting 22 points on an incredible 11-of-15 shooting. He crashed the boards, finishing with seven, and posted six assists—keeping the Mavs defense perpetually on its collective toes. Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times provided Griffin's stats:
He continued to struggle from the free-throw line, both of his attempts, but overall he enjoyed a stellar night.
DeAndre Jordan: B+
DeAndre Jordan and Tyson Chandler are similar players—as defensive anchors who contribute size and a presence on offense and not much else. Jordan, though, looked like the better option on Saturday.
He dominated the post to the tune of 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting. A pair of missed dunks hurt what would have been an even better stat line, but his message was felt nonetheless.
Leading the way for Los Angeles on the boards—he finished with a game-high 15—Jordan proved that size and athleticism can compensate for limited talent, especially when your team is loaded with talented distributors.
J.J. Redick: B+
J.J. Redick was instrumental in the game's opening half, as he led the team's offense with his three-point shooting as the Clippers jumped out to an early lead. Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com noted Redick's inconsistent play over the course of a game:
Though his scoring slowed after the half—he posted just three of his 16 points in the last two periods—his overall game was impressive. Shooting 4-of-8 from deep, he stretched the floor and prevented the defense from doubling other L.A. guards—Paul in the third quarter, Crawford in the fourth—when they got hot.
Throw in four assists and it was an above-average night from the Clippers' sharpshooter.
Rest of Team: B
Matt Barnes was relatively quiet after his hot first-quarter start—he opened the game with eight points—but his overall scoring total of 18 is more than respectable.
Identified as the weak spot in L.A.'s starting lineup prior to the season's start, Barnes continued to silence critics, proving himself as a legitimate scoring threat from both long range and near the rim.
Meanwhile, Crawford led the way off the bench with 19 points—the vast majority of which came in the final period. The rest of the bench made little to no impact, but Crawford's outstanding effort, coupled with Barnes' play in the opening quarter is enough to give the Clippers' role players a solid grade.
Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki: B+
Dirk Nowtizki has been in an offensive funk for a while, but Saturday saw him finally regain some of his groove, though it was ultimately not enough to lead Dallas to a win.
With 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting, Nowitzki was the Mavericks' top-scoring threat, executing under immense pressure and—for a while, at least—keeping Dallas from falling too far behind. Kirk of MavsOutsider.com shared his appreciation for Nowitzki playing well:
In the end, though, he simply didn't have enough help and fell cold down the stretch. His overall performance was fine, but the lack of other options took its toll on the veteran power forward.
Rajon Rondo: D
Rondo's detractors have their fair share of faults to pick apart, and Saturday's contest showcased just about all of them.
He was a complete mess on offense, sinking just one of his 11 shots and missing all three of his three-point attempts. Though he added eight assists, few can deny that the recently acquired floor general did more harm than help to his team. Sports writer Jeff Caplan asked if Rondo is the "worst-shooting point guard in the West":
On defense, he wasn't much better, allowing Paul to outplay him as the Clippers' offense ran circles around Dallas. Though he wasn't alone in his struggles, his poor play certainly played a large role in the team's meltdown, as he finished with a game-low minus-27.
Monta Ellis: A-
Aside from Nowitzki, Ellis was the only Dallas player who looked to be a reliable offensive contributor.
With 15 points in the first half, he played a key role in keeping L.A. within arm's reach going into the break, and his final line of 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, along with six assists, cannot be held to much scrutiny. The NBA's official Twitter feed shared Ellis' first-half shot chart:
He was characteristically bad on defense, but in a game in which he was forced to dedicate so much energy to the offensive end, it's hard to find much fault in his performance.
Tyson Chandler: C
It's not that Chandler was bad, Saturday night. His 10 rebounds were instrumental, and his pair of blocks highlighted what was an OK defensive effort. The Mavericks highlighted a Nowitzki-Chandler pass:
However, he was completely invisible on offense, and with Rondo already contributing nothing from the starting lineup, Chandler needed to step up—and he didn't.
He attempted just four shots, scoring a total of five points in 31 minutes of court time. A lot more could have gone wrong, but his inability to make any impact hurt the team, especially on a night when it lacked options.
Rest of Team: C+
Chandler Parson's offensive impact was minimal, and the bench combined to score just 33 with no player posting double figures. Charlie Villanueva (nine points) can be credited with leading Dallas on its final push for a comeback, but the rest of the second unit was seemingly absent.
Dwight Powell made the most of his garbage time, adding eight points on perfect shooting, but the backups, as a whole, followed the narrative set by the starters in what was an overall forgettable performance from the Mavericks.
Up Next...
The Clippers will look to carry their momentum into Sunday's contest against the Miami Heat, while Dallas will look to bounce back on the road against the Sacramento Kings.
