Clippers Fall to the Mavs, 113-97

you think you got some realistic solutions. After the Clippers lose a tough one where really felt like they had an opportunity to win this game, some are going to write this off as well. Kyrie Irving was back and even though they don't have Luca, the Clippers still don't have Kawhi Leonard, but Kyrie Irving struggled mightily in this game. He was six of twenty five. You get that performance from Kyrie Irving, I feel like you gotta win that ballgame.

That's the source of my frustration and the Clippers getting beat at their own game in the hustle categories, where the Dallas Mavericks had eleven offensive rebounds the Clippers eight, and those second chance points twenty seven to sixteen in favor of the Dallas Mavericks, eleven of fourteen on second chance opportunities, points in the paint forty six to forty two, and then just the careless mistakes by the Clippers. Some

of these turnovers are pretty inexcusable. And James Harden since he came back from being out for eight days, he only missed one game during that time because the wonky schedule with the Clippers, but in three of the last four games he has had turnover numbers of nine, six

and tonight seven. Something's off with his timing. He doesn't look right, and I thought there were some real unforced errors out there by James Harden, or he just simply wasn't focused enough, not making sharp passes, not playing a crisp, sound brand of basketball. The level of competitiveness wasn't where it needed to be from this Clippers team against Dallas

tonight because they were playing harder. Remember the idea identity of this team going back to Honolulu, when coach Lou was asked about them, he said, We're gonna be a team that plays hard every night. Tonight they got out played by Dallas. Dallas was tougher. They matched the challenge of Viza Zubats. Could they have struggled against They met the challenge, I should say Derek Liveley had eleven points, a couple of blocks, eleven boards, five assists. Daniel Gafford

also had two blocks. He had thirteen and six And I don't know what it's gonna take for the Clippers to get a Vita Zubats the basketball more when they're struggling offensively and they can't hit a shot from distance. As at the half, the Clippers were six no, no, no, They were three of nineteen from the outside. They were

shooting sixteen percent from three. After the third quarter six of thirty one got her up to nineteen percent from three, but Big Zoo in the third had his own seven straight points and uh, some of that he had to generate on his own because nobody was getting him in the basketball. And I understand Carlo's point, they were doubling right away, but I I guess I feel good about

aviasta Zuba's passing out of those double teams. Lately. He scored seventh straight from the seven to forty six mark of the third quarter to the six fifty three mark. He gets two putbacks and then he gets a big throwdown and I think, yeah, there was a free throw in there on an and one, owing the second put back. Seven straight points. So what happens after that? The Clippers had cut it to sixty one to fifty four. Big Zoo is getting active. He's flying around, he was getting

every rebound during that stretch. He was playing with the right level of aggressiveness and then right competitive spirit. He's doing the little things. He's creating his own buckets with putbacks. He's getting offensive boards, he's getting defensive boards. The Mavericks call a time out on their way back in. It's Norman Powett the free throw line. He hits two. It is a five point game. Kyrie comes down, misses a

tough shot. He was missing a ton of them. James Harden defensive rebound, Derek Owns junior miss three, Derek Jones junior blocks, Maxi Kliba, Nauzie Marshall makes a three pointer as they got the offensive rebound after that block. Now a James Harden miss three. Okay, so let's see. There's a I think three straight possessions where the Clippers have not gotten the basketball to of eats at Zubats. They're taking threes that they have been missing at just an

incredible rate in this game. I don't understand it. James Harden miss jumper, Chris Dunn missed three, a mere Coffee miss three. Zubots does all that work during that stretch and doesn't get rewarded for it at all. Another James Harden miss three. Clippers can't hate anything. They just had Big Zoo go on a seven to zero run and they completely go away from it for three pointers that already weren't falling. It would be one thing if they

were hot. I know you got to hit him at some point, but maybe let Zoo get a little bit of burn there, because he was playing like a monster all of a sudden, mostly because he was touching the basketball. I know it's not that simple. I know if you look at the tape and Carlo's right when he touched the ball, he was being doubled. But too often they'd go down and settle for lower percentage shots on a night where they're shooting an even lower percentage on those shots.

That's like Aviacha Zoo Bots comes out of the game of the two minute mark of the third quarter and the Clippers have scored like two buckets since that stretch he had and they're down big again. I don't get it. I don't get it. I've never understood it. They forget about Zoo all the time. That was really frustrating for me. The frustrating part is this was a very winnable ball game because Kyrie Irving was six or twenty five and if Visa Zubots look good again, I mean, he just

had a great game on Thursday. Yes, I'm sure Dallas was going to key in on that, but when you can't get anything easy to go on the offensive end, at least find him make them have to double. I don't know, opt to review the tape later and see how many of those looks were good looks in the third quarter that I can't really disagree with on some of those three pointers and how many times they probably should have dumped it into a Vitza Zubats to just get him an opportunity to continue to make a run.

But that wasn't the entire game. The Clippers had it to within six thanks to somebody else going going to run. It was a lot of individual runs in this game by the Clippers keeping them in it. It didn't feel like it was a free flowing offense. It felt clunky. It felt like the gears were gummed up a little bit. But Norman Pal's so good and should be an All star.

When he starts to cook, he can make some things happen for you and gets you right back into a ballgame where it looked like it's gonna be over when they're down fifteen at ninety to seventy five. After a PJ. Washington three at the eight to thirty mark of the fourth quarter, normOn Pal started to cook. Then Norman ends up making ten straight points for the Clippers, and it is a six point game because of normOn Powell heroics. It's one hundred and ninety four with four forty one left.

There's plenty of time, plenty of time, but Klay Thompson hit a clutch three, and as Carlo Amennez brought up earlier mentioned earlier, Dallas hit so many retort shots. They had so many answers for the Clippers, at least four times in the first half alone. When the Clippers hit a three, Dallas hit one right afterwards. That was incredible. But that shot by Klay Thompson was a big one, six point game, four and a half minutes left. He

put him up by nine, but they can seated. There was some defensive indifference going on on the next possession because of Itatzazubats was playing against Gafford who had five fouls, so he just let him get a dunk. Kind of wish the Clippers would have exploited that more. And then Norim Palell started to miss and had the bad foul on Spencer Dinwiddie on a three pointer that maybe ice the game to put him back up by ten, as

he would hit all three free throws. But I was still annoyed by some of these turnovers laid by the Clippers where they just kind of unraveled a ten point game with three minutes left is not insurmountable. It's not that had kept the Clippers down in this ball game wasn't just their misshots. It was their miscues, the turnovers. After playing some phenomenal defense on Kyrie Irving as he did all night, Chris Dunn, he's one of the best defenders I've ever seen in my life. He forces Kyrie

into a tough miss. He gets the rebound, but he steps at a bounds It's a turnover to the three zero nine mark ten point game. Then on the inbounds pass, Kyrie Irving throws it over the head of his teammates. Kevin Porters Junior steals it, starts to go up the floor, gets his pocket picked clean lint and all by Spencer Dinwiddie. Then James Harden has a miserable pass, Klay Thompson steal

PJ Washington easy dunk. Clippers down twelve. All three of those turnovers happened within a minute and six seconds for the Clippers. That's the game. Like, you're not out of it down ten with almost three and a half minutes left. They got out of it quickly there with three turnovers in a minute in six seconds. We'll take a quick

time out, We'll come back. This is Clippers stock. I'm at a maslin if you'd like to get on eight sixty six ninety eight seven two five seventy eight sixty six ninety eight seven two five seventy Clippers fall in Dallas one thirteen to ninety seven. They got the split there. But I always want to get greedy, and this was a winnable game, and I don't know if the Clippers came out with the right fight, competitive spirit, and James Harden has got to clean up some of these turnovers lately.

More clipperstock next year. On M five seven ELA Sports. I love this team. I never miss a game.

the best stories. Norm Powell at thirty coming back and I mean coming up to step into the starting role and doing what he's doing, James Harden uh playing a leadership role, and then everybody's waiting on Kawhi. So that's the only real story to me in the NBA right now. So but you know, good with the bad. I think that at the front office has made some real good offseason acquisitions. Chris d u n n is ad Ogg.

I will walk in any alley with him anytime, and I know I'm coming out the other side love that dude. You're right, you got to give him. He's one of the best perimeter players. I mean, the defenders I think I've seen. I mean, he's a throwback man. He could play with Coop back in the days. He don't give a dog gone, he's going for you. But I got to tell you, man, I don't know. I don't know who made the call on Mobamba. I'm not impressed with that dude. I don't know what he's doing. Every time

he comes in the game. My stomach drops, like like your guy last game said he needs to do the things that he's supposed to do well, and he's not doing them. I mean, he's not a significant rent protector. He has no low post moves, and when he takes that three, it's like, oh my god. You know so ill to figure out.

of his off the court antics. That boy can play, yeah he can. He he can't get a little out of the troll. But I think when you see Kawhi come back, he's gonna settle down. I think all going to help him. That boy can ball.

Some of that was on him defensively, there were a couple of plays where he was at a position and I just don't know, Like I I cannot trust this guy in a big game right now. I gotta be honest about that. I gotta be honest about that, Lendy, like I do not feel comfortable with KPJ and the playoffs.

Those little things are what matter out there. And then if Coffee catches a heater like he has for most of the season, that's almost like bonus, like he's not going to let you down in the little ways that Kevin Porter Junior. I mean, there is a reason tonight I watched this game, and I don't always go off of one off plus minus, but he had nineteen points and was also a minus sixteen out there, and I

think a lot of that is is truthful. I think that plus minus with him, like, I don't know if he was a net positive out there even though he had nineteen points.

Done stays a clipper for life. We need a dog like that, yeah, because that do you You don't you don't find dudes like that in today's If he ever gets a consistent jumper about thirty forty fort he's he's golden. So anyway, man, keep up your thing. Adam and uh I said, well, let's let let let's wait for Kawhi to get back and see what we got. I'm with you on that.

five pregame back here at four. I'm at a mazand and you're listening to a five seventy LA Sports. I love this team. I never miss a game.

flow offense. We turned the basketball over, couldn't really get to our spots like we wanted to, and so I thought, you know, defensively, we did a good job in that first half. Then we gave up like four or five offensive rebounds the last five minutes, which allowed 'em to get dunks and put backs, and so we had to be better with that as well. Upfill you guys got mixed frustration trying to pull over times, but also could.

night where we don't shoot the ball well. But we gotta be better when you're not sh when you're not shooting the ball well, we gotta be even better defensively. And I thought we could have been a little bit better.

couple of turnovers. But you know, we just can't let that, you know, sidetrackers like, okay, we gotta you know, get better, you know, continue to keep taking care of the basketball, but offensive rebounds, taking care of those like we did, you know, better than the second half and they just kind of go from there. But I just thought, like I said, Kyrie, trying to get up the floor, pressure James and really warm down and you know, we wasn't able to get a good flow into our offense tonight.

And for everybody out there that keeps wanting to tell me that Kyrie Irving is food defensively, which I told you guys, was bs heading into that playoff series. Like the Dallas Mavericks had the number one defense after the All Star break last season for a reason, Kyrie can play defense. And what did Coach Lou talk about the ball pressure on James Harden slowing them down from getting

into their offense. From who Kyrie Irving? So for everyone to want to say he's food, he gets cooked, like please watch the game, Like that's where he made his impact tonight. It wasn't in the offensive end. He played really good defense for someone who's supposed to be known as this terrible defender that disrupted the Clippers offense. All right, Clippers now sixteen and thirteen on the season, and we bring in our new producer, Daniel West. Daniel, how are we doing tonight?

very last segment every night here on Clippers Top. We got Daniel West with that Western Conference standings update the role I was born to appreciate you, my guy. Good to have you on board here. Clippers lose by sixteen one, thirteen to ninety seven was your final against the Dallas Mavericks. Now I want to hear this from Bashton Swinsteiger, who was wrong once again saying the Clippers would go to and oher in Dallas. And he was saying that thinking Luca was going to play in both games, and now

he's saying Kyrie Irving is food. Defensively, It's like people don't even watch tape anymore. They just want to narrative basketball to narrative their way through thanks, Like, who cares what's actually happening out there. I'm just going to go off of somebody whose reputation or what some talking head has said to me in the mornings. Like that stuff to me, Ugh Suber frustrating. All right, Before we get out of here, I do want to thank the Clippers organization.

Ralph Lawler, Bryan Seaman, Noah Eagle, great call earlier, My Guy, NBC, Carlo Jimenez, great Carlin Dallas. Big thanks to big brother Jake Warner. We're thinking about you. Colin yee see yeezy in the studio, Daniel West, go West, young Man West is with us now he's our new producer. He'll update you in the Western Conference standings. I want to thank the callers, the listeners, the chatters. Until Monday night, I'm Adamson. We'll talk to you then. Clippers in Memphis taking on the Gris.