Clippers clip Mavericks, deny playoff clinch
How the Clippers won: The Dallas Mavericks will have to wait at least one more day before they can clinch a playoff berth.
Jamal Crawford scored 22 points Sunday afternoon to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 98-91 triumph over the Mavs at the STAPLES Center. The loss snapped the Mavs’ six-game winning streak.
One more win by Dallas or one more loss by the Houston Rockets and the Mavs will clinch a playoff berth.
The Mavs will try to clinch a playoff spot Monday night in Utah.
A poor performance in the third quarter led to the Mavs’ demise against the Clippers. Dallas only trailed 49-47 at intermission, but shot just 3-of-18 from the floor when it was outscored 27-12 in the third period.
Deron Williams returned to the starting lineup for the Mavs after missing eight straight games with a sports hernia. Williams finished with 15 points (6-of-11 shots) in 29 minutes.
Key players: Besides the 22 points from Jamal Crawford, J. J. Redick had 20 points for the Clippers, Blake Grififn finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan added 13 points ans 10 boards. Also for the Clippers, Jeff Green scored 11 points in 19 minutes.
Key stat: The Mavs were just 3-of-18 from the field and scored only 12 points in the third quarter.
Records: Mavs 41-39, Clippers 52-28
This story was originally published April 10, 2016 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Clippers clip Mavericks, deny playoff clinch."