After a torturous and sobering two road losses against the Nuggets and the Timberwolves, the Clippers split the first two games of their much-needed five-game homestand against the Hawks and the Mavericks. I for one am extremely satisfied with this result. Beggars can’t be choosers. We were literally on a six-game losing streak till Tuesday night when we beat the Mavericks.

It’s interesting to consider how both stars for their respective teams, Trae and Luka, were traded for each other on draft night, and the Clippers faced off against both. It’s basically consensus the Mavs won the trade, contrary to whatever Hawks fans tell you. This isn’t a slight to Trae- Luka’s just different. He’s the perfect blend of skill, bully-ball, vision, etc., probably since LeBron James. Ironically enough, the Clippers lost the game to the team with the “worse” star with the worse record. Matchups matter, and if history has showed anything, the Clippers fare well against the Mavericks (4-2 in 2020, 4-3 in 2021).

The Hawks game was a game of runs. The story goes like this: the Hawks were winning, but the Clippers rallied behind a few key players to overtake the lead but didn’t execute down the stretch and lost the game. It’s like the archetypical Clipper game I’ve come to expect at that point, eerily bearing resemblance with pretty much all the games during the losing streak (read my previous articles for more clarification). This game was basically death by Trae Young floaters. He played really well, scoring an efficient 30 on 17 shots (9-17 fg, 3-6 from 3pt). The Hawks did most of their damage in the second quarter with 41 points. With 9 seconds on the clock, Trae threw a lob from the three-point line, which was caught by Collins for the slam. John Wall threw a fatuous in-bound turnover immediately after, which found the ball in the hands of a slashing DeAndre Hunter for another slam. This sequence went super viral on Bleacher Report, HoH, etc., and it did a good job capturing the essence of this first half- the Clippers are aging, which presents a mismatch against a young and athletic Hawks team, which also means they can’t afford to play lackadaisical, or they’ll get embarrassed.

The second half went slightly differently. I noticed an increased aggression with the team, more rim runs. Terrance Mann was pushing the pace offensively. He’s a strong player with some super strong takes. Even if he doesn’t score well, his presence has a positive impact to the game, and I think he should start effectively. The Clippers were up 102-91 with 6:30 in the fourth. That’s a deceivingly large amount of time to make stuff happen. The Hawks tied it up in a matter of roughly two minutes. I felt like a timeout could’ve been called a little earlier to staunch the bleeding, but hindsight is 20-20 I suppose. The Hawks just scored more timely shots. Kawhi had the opportunity to shoot a go-ahead three at the end, which just went off the iron. I’m not demoralized through- he’ll find his three eventually (via law of averages). It’s nice to see the Hawks persist amidst the Trae Young- Nate McMillan drama, but if we’re being honest, the Dejounte Murray trade hasn’t pushed the needle for them. It’s the same thing with the Rudy Gobert trade to Minnesota, both teams remaining in basketball purgatory.

If I had to choose one redeeming quality from the game, it’d be Kawhi’s scoring. He had 29 on 23 shots, which isn’t that efficient, but it’s evidence of him further finding his footing. It almost foreshadowed his scoring outburst against the Mavericks (spoiler alert), with 33. That was vintage Kawhi – 33 on 12 shots (9-12) is absurd efficiency. Much is made of the fact that Kawhi doesn’t play many games, and this is slowly creeping away from the truth. I think he’s played an adequate number of games given the severity of an ACL tear and the arduous recovery process that comes with that. He has played in 7 out of the last 10 games and I think he’s fully rounded the corner in his recovery, so that proportion should surely increase.

The Clippers-Mavs rivalry is so unique to me. They’ve faced off twice in the playoffs, both of which had me screaming at my TV in response to Luka’s offensive brilliance. While the Clippers are 2-0 against them, this doesn’t paint a complete picture, as each series was extremely scrappy and hard-fought. Luka seems to reach a higher gear whenever matching up with the Clippers. I did a little digging, and he has the highest PPG, averaging 32.2, against the Clippers all-time (with a minimum of 10 games). Point being, he hates us.

The Clippers were in the driver’s seat this entire game, controlling pace and making timely shots. The Mavs made a run at the end, but the Clippers were cushioned by the points advantage from the first three quarters. That’s sort of how you game plan against Luka- just score a bunch of points early so he can’t rip your heart out in the fourth. It’s so stupid. He was literally listed as questionable on the injury report, just so he could score 15 points in the fourth, which amounts to 43 11 and 7 on good efficiency. Luckily, we got the Kawhi masterclass as well.

It’s difficult to say whether the Mavericks are in a beleaguered state or not. On one hand, they’re only the 5^th seed in the western conference, which (let’s be for real) isn’t that that strong as compared to prior years. Given Luka’s insane numbers and caliber of play this year, they should be a top-3 seed lock. That’s like the lone omission in his MVP resumé in my opinion. On the other hand, having the kernel of your team, aka Luka, to build around isn’t a luxury afforded to other teams. If the Mavericks play their cards right, this can be an incredibly offensively potent team for years to come.  

I think this team has done a decent job treading water while they wait for George to return. He’s still out with a hamstring injury indefinitely, but Kawhi returning to form attenuates many concerns. In the interim, we need to sustain a ‘next-game’ mentality. Next game, tomorrow, rematch, the Nuggets. Let’s get it.