The Los Angeles Clippers are winning games and scoring points at a rapid pace.
The Clippers, coming off a season-high 151 points, will be looking for their ninth straight win on Wednesday night when they visit Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
Los Angeles is averaging 147.5 points over the last two games and has won three of its last four by a margin of at least 20 points. The Clippers opened a three-game road trip with a 151-127 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday after trouncing the visiting New York Knicks 144-122 on Saturday.
The recent acquisition of James Harden and his rapport with fellow stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are the reasons for the surge.
George said, “Honestly, we’ve been locked in, everybody’s playing at a high level,” following his 27-point performance over Indiana. “We are looking after the ball. We’ve played excellent defense. And we’ve paid close attention to every aspect.”
Against the Pacers, Harden scored twenty-one of his 35 points for the season in the fourth quarter. He scored 18 points in a row for Los Angeles at one point, making five 3-pointers as the Clippers sealed the victory.
In his 21 games with Los Angeles, Harden has averaged 17.1 points per game; however, he has scored at least 20 points in six of his last 10 games, indicating a recent uptick in his output.
Leonard is also having a great game; in six of his last 11 games, he has scored more than 30 points. With 28 points on 12-of-18 shooting versus Indiana, he came up barely short.
Over the last four games, Leonard is shooting 44 of 64 (68.8 percent) from the field.
Coach Tyronn Lue of the Clippers remarked, “It’s exactly what I envisioned, just how we should play and how we can play.” “The biggest thing is just PG, Kawhi and James making each other better on a night-to-night basis.”
Earlier in the season, Los Angeles and Dallas split two games, with Leonard putting up inconsistent play.
On November 10, he scored 26 points in a 144-126 loss to the Mavericks on the road. On November 25, he only scored 8 points on 2 of 12 shots in a 107-88 victory over Dallas at home.
Throughout the two games against the Clippers, Doncic averaged 37 points. In the Dallas triumph, he scored 44 points on 17 of 21 shooting, while in the Mavericks defeat, he scored 30 points on just 1 of 8 3-point tries.
Doncic, who has been on fire this season, went on to post his 11th straight 30-point game in the franchise record during Monday’s 130-104 road defeat to the Denver Nuggets.
However, Dallas’ defense, which has given up an average of 123.5 points in its last four games, had a difficult night.
Coach Jason Kidd of the Mavericks stated, “Give Denver credit.” “We had some excellent looks there, but we just missed (open shots). But if we’re not scoring, we need to improve our defensive play.
“As a coach, I must improve. However, our defense is what matters most. If we are not scoring, our defense has to improve in order to give us a chance. We cannot simply depend on Luka to come through for us with 40.”
With 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting, Dante Exum was the only other Dallas player to score in double figures.
For the sixth consecutive game, Dallas will be without star player Kyrie Irving (heel). Big man Dereck Lively II (ankle), who missed the game against Denver due to an injury sustained during Saturday’s 131-120 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, is also out.
Doncic declared, “It has to be the next man up.” “And we’ve got to be way better.”
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