The Dallas Mavericks are going to have to prove they can compete with teams like the Los Angeles Clippers if they want to become a legitimate contender in the Western Conference, and Kristaps Porzingis knows they did not do that on Tuesday night.
Dallas was dominated at home by the Clippers in the first half, and the Mavs were unable to do enough to overcome it over the final 24 minutes. As Porzingis put it, the Mavericks were “punched in the mouth” from the opening tip.
Kristaps Porzingis: “They came into the game like, ‘We want to beat their ass.’ They has a little more attitude than we did. Got punched in the mouth a little bit. On to the next one.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) November 27, 2019
The Clippers took a 62-46 lead into halftime, and that was really all they needed. Dallas outscored them by a point in the second half but still lost 114-99. LA showed that they can beat teams in many ways with Kawhi Leonard leading the team with 28 points, Paul George right behind him with 26 and Lou Williams scoring 21 off the bench.
While it’s tough to judge teams this early in the NBA season, the Mavericks proved they have a long way to go. Fortunately, Luka Doncic has picked up right where he left off after his outstanding rookie season, and Porzingis’ optimism about his health prior to the season has translated into solid play early on. If intensity is going to be an issue for Dallas, now is the time to start correcting it.
