The Dallas Mavericks faced a tough challenge against the Los Angeles Clippers, playing without their star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. While the final score may not reflect it, there were some interesting takeaways from this game, particularly regarding our young big men, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford.
Lively, who has been a bright spot for us this season, had a statistically decent game with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks. However, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. This was arguably one of his roughest outings, marked by uncharacteristic mistakes and struggles defending Ivica Zubac in the post.
The Lively-Gafford tandem, which has been a strength for us, faced significant challenges. Their combined performance might rank as one of their worst as a duo this season. Without our primary playmakers, our bigs naturally suffered on the offensive end. Lively found himself operating out of the high post, running dribble handoffs for much of our offense - a role he’s not typically asked to fill.
Defensively, both Lively and Gafford had trouble containing Zubac. Lively’s lack of bulk made it difficult for him to body up against the Clippers’ center, resulting in some costly fouls. Gafford, on the other hand, seemed undersized for the matchup.
A pivotal moment came in the third quarter when Lively committed back-to-back fouls on Zubac, both resulting in and-ones. This sequence, following a Mavs’ run that had cut the lead to 8, effectively deflated our momentum and proved to be a turning point in the game.
Despite the struggles of our bigs, there were some positives to take away from this game. Spencer Dinwiddie and Klay Thompson showed flashes of good play, creating opportunities on offense that we’d love to see integrated when Doncic and Irving return to the lineup.
It’s important to remember that Lively is only 20 years old, and games like this are part of the growth process. While he hasn’t made the leap some might have expected, he’s still affecting winning in ways that don’t always show up in the box score.
For more insights and a deeper dive into the Mavericks’ performance against the Clippers, tune into the Locked On Mavericks podcast for this and much more.
Other Topics in Today’s Locked On Mavericks Podcast:
- The Mavericks’ transition offense struggles
- Analyzing the decision to sit Doncic and Irving
- The Clippers’ offensive strategy and the Mavericks’ defensive responses
