DHJ Quick Take: Testing the Blueprint

The Defensive Mandate: To upset the Clippers at Intuit Dome, Marvin Bagley III told Dallas Hoops Journal that the team must “take them out of the game and force the other guys to make plays.” This strategy specifically targets Kawhi Leonard (54 straight games with 20+ points) and Darius Garland, who scorched Dallas for 41 points in their last meeting.

Flagg vs. The Klaw: Coming off a historic 96-point two-game stretch, Cooper Flagg faces his toughest defensive test yet. Jason Kidd noted that the Clippers will likely utilize Kawhi Leonard and Derrick Jones Jr. to disrupt Flagg’s rhythm, much like they did in their March 21 overtime victory.

Shorthanded Hurdles: Dallas opens this three-game road trip severely depleted. With P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Caleb Martin all sidelined, the Mavericks will rely heavily on the return of Marvin Bagley III and the “organized” offensive pace Flagg has established during his record-breaking week.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The last two nights at American Airlines Center have felt like a glimpse of what the Dallas Mavericks are building toward. Now they take that energy on the road, and the task gets considerably harder.

Cooper Flagg followed his 51-point outburst against Orlando on Friday with 45 more against the Lakers on Sunday, becoming the first rookie to post back-to-back 40-point games since Allen Iverson in 1996-97. His 96 combined points over the two-game stretch tie Wilt Chamberlain for the fifth-most by a rookie in any two-game span in NBA history — with Chamberlain owning every spot above them. Dallas snapped a 14-game home losing streak in the process, winning 134-128 to improve to 25-53.

Now the Mavericks open a three-game season-ending road trip Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome, with tip-off scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CT on MavsTV.

Flagg’s Rookie of the Year case against Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel — his former Duke teammate — has never been stronger, but Tuesday presents a different kind of challenge. The Clippers are a team playing for playoff seeding at home, with two of the better individual defenders in the league capable of being assigned to Flagg in Kawhi Leonard and Derrick Jones Jr. — the same two who gave him the most trouble in the overtime loss on March 21. Dallas will also be without several key contributors, making Flagg’s efficiency and early rhythm all the more critical.

Over the two-game stretch, Flagg is shooting 33-of-57 (57.9 percent) from the field, 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from 3-point range, and 22-of-24 (91.7 percent) from the free throw line while averaging 48.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.5 steals.

Jason Kidd on Cooper Flagg, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Path Forward

Head coach Jason Kidd was clear-eyed about the defensive challenges ahead when speaking with reporters before Tuesday’s game, acknowledging specifically that Jones disrupted Flagg’s rhythm the last time these teams met and that Leonard presents a different but equally difficult problem on that end.

“I think when you look at the shots he’s taking, it’s just a rhythm,” Kidd said. “We talked about the Clippers — Derrick Jones Jr., we know him well from his time with us, and the last time he gave Cooper some fits. You’ve also got Kawhi, another strong defender. So it’s about setting good screens, making sure Cooper isn’t rushing or taking bad shots, and getting him touches early so he can get into a rhythm.”

Flagg’s own defensive impact has been equally notable during this stretch. In the March 21 overtime loss at American Airlines Center, he recorded a chase-down block on Leonard in the fourth quarter that briefly swung the momentum — an example of the kind of two-way engagement Kidd has come to rely on from his rookie forward.

“Anytime you look at Cooper, he’s playing both sides at a very high level,” Kidd said. “Whether it’s a turnover or a long outlet, he’s always hustling to get the ball back — whether that’s a steal or a block. He’s come up with some chase-down blocks, but that’s just him playing hard and trying to help his teammates on the floor.”

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue recently called Flagg a star in the making, a level of recognition from a peer that Kidd addressed directly when asked about it Tuesday.

“I think it means a lot coming from someone like Ty, who has seen stars and has them on his team,” Kidd said. “For other coaches and peers around the league to recognize how well Cooper is playing — that says a lot. His numbers speak for themselves, but to see it in person and hear that kind of respect is big.”

When asked about the most significant area of growth from Flagg since training camp, Kidd pointed to something less visible in the box score but fundamental to how Dallas has been using him down the stretch.

“His pace,” Kidd said. “The rhythm of his shots — he’s not rushing anymore, he’s getting to his spots. Coming back from injury, he’s playing with great pace in the open court, which is one of his strengths. He’s not just scoring — he’s finding teammates and creating looks for shooters.”

The tactical challenge of containing the Clippers’ two primary creators was not lost on Kidd. On Darius Garland, whose 41-point, eight-3-pointer performance in the March 21 overtime game remains the blueprint for how to beat Dallas, Kidd emphasized keeping him behind the arc as the primary objective.

“The last time we saw him, he made a lot of threes,” Kidd said. “So we’ve got to take him off the three-point line. He can shoot it, but he can also get to the rim and create. Those two complement each other really well.”

On Leonard — who has scored at least 20 points in 54 consecutive games and whose midrange game and physicality make him uniquely difficult to scheme against — Kidd acknowledged the limitations of any defensive plan.

“When you talk about stars, Kawhi is one of them,” Kidd said. “His midrange game, getting to the free-throw line, shooting the three — he understands time and score. He’s seen everything. It’s hard to keep him from catching the ball, but you try to make him do something different. Defensively, he’s also elite — his hands can force you into making other decisions.”

Los Angeles has won 34 of its last 57 games after opening the season 6-21, a turnaround Kidd attributed largely to Lue’s steadiness and adaptability.

“Ty’s won in this league. He understands it’s a marathon,” Kidd said. “It’s not always how you start, but how you adjust. They made some moves, and Ty doesn’t complain — he comes to work every day to find a way to win. He’s gotten that group to believe, and they’re playing really good basketball right now.”

Marvin Bagley III and John Poulakidas Preview the Matchup

Marvin Bagley III has seen this Clippers team up close twice already this season, including the March 21 overtime game in Dallas where he shot 7-of-8 from the field for 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Asked what the keys are for Dallas to stay competitive against a Los Angeles team playing its most meaningful basketball of the year, Bagley kept his scouting report direct.

“We played a pretty close game in Dallas,” Bagley told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Just doing what we do — making it tough on Kawhi and Garland, making it as tough as possible for those guys. Try to take them out of the game and force the other guys to make plays and do things to help them win. Just sticking to what we do. I think that’s our best bet to come out, compete, and put ourselves in a position to win.”

With Dallas coming off one of its more efficient offensive performances of the season — a 134-point win over the Lakers on Sunday — Bagley was asked what the Mavericks can carry into Tuesday’s road environment from that effort.

“Just locking into things that we either tweaked in the game plan or kept the same and just going out there and competing,” Bagley told Dallas Hoops Journal. “We’ve just got to keep that same mindset that we had coming into the last game with these guys and try to do it again — and be even better at it tonight.”

Bagley also addressed the challenge of facing a Clippers team whose two primary contributors have both played in high-stakes basketball before, with Leonard winning multiple championships and Garland logging significant playoff minutes in Cleveland.

“They’re both talented. We know what Kawhi has done in his career — winning championships and playing in high-level games. Garland has played in a lot of playoff games in Cleveland and been in those situations as well,” Bagley told Dallas Hoops Journal. “So we know what they can bring. Like I said, we’ve got to try our best to take those guys out of the game early and make their other guys make plays. It should be fun though.”

John Poulakidas, signed to a two-way contract March 1 and appearing in nine games this season, has studied the film closely on a Clippers offense that generates a significant portion of its damage from Garland’s left-hand step-back 3-pointer — a shot that burned Dallas repeatedly in the March 21 matchup. Poulakidas zeroed in on the specific adjustments he expects Dallas to prioritize.

“Just making sure we’re paying attention to the scouting report, knowing guys’ tendencies, knowing that Garland wants to get to that left-hand step-back,” Poulakidas told Dallas Hoops Journal. “He hit a lot of threes on us the last game, so try to make him play inside the line. And obviously Kawhi has had an incredible season this year, so just trying to limit him, keep him off his right hand as much as we can, and just knowing everyone else’s tendencies.”

The Last Matchup

The most recent meeting between these teams ended 138-131 in overtime on March 21 in Dallas. The Mavericks led by nine at halftime before the Clippers went on a 25-5 run to open the third quarter. Garland scored a season-high 41 points on 15-of-24 shooting with eight made 3-pointers and 11 assists. Leonard added 34, including the tying bucket with 19 seconds remaining in regulation. Derrick Jones Jr. then drilled back-to-back 3-pointers in overtime to put the game away.

Flagg had 18 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and four blocked shots in that game. Naji Marshall scored 28 off the bench and P.J. Washington added 21. Ryan Nembhard contributed 13 points and nine assists without a turnover. Dallas is 1-2 in the season series.

The Clippers’ Situation

Los Angeles enters Tuesday at 40-38, tied with Portland for eighth in the Western Conference but holding the better tiebreaker. The week ahead is consequential: the Clippers face Oklahoma City on Wednesday before traveling to Portland on Friday in a matchup that could effectively determine who goes directly into the playoff bracket versus who faces an elimination play-in game. Tuesday’s game against a shorthanded Dallas team is one they will be expected to handle before the more pivotal tests that follow.

Leonard has been the engine of the Clippers’ turnaround, averaging 28 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.9 steals while shooting 50.5 percent from the field. His 54 consecutive games with at least 20 points is one of the more underrated individual streaks in the league. Garland is averaging 20.3 points, Bennedict Mathurin 18.8, and John Collins 13.7 to provide depth behind Leonard.

Injury Report

Dallas will be without P.J. Washington (left elbow soreness), Brandon Williams (illness), Daniel Gafford (right shoulder impingement), Caleb Martin (right plantar fascia strain), Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery), and Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery). Moussa Cissé is also out on a G League assignment. Marvin Bagley III (available after missing three games with a left shoulder impingement), John Poulakidas, and Tyler Smith are available on two-way contracts.

For the Clippers, Bradley Beal (left hip fracture), Isaiah Jackson (right ankle sprain), and Yanic Konan Niederhauser (right Lisfranc ligament tear) are out.

Season Series

Dallas is 1-2 against Los Angeles this season. The Clippers won 133-127 in double overtime at American Airlines Center on Nov. 14, the Mavericks won 114-110 at Intuit Dome on Nov. 29, and the Clippers took the most recent meeting 138-131 in overtime in Dallas on March 21.

Up Next

Following Tuesday’s game, Dallas travels to Phoenix to face the Suns on Wednesday at 9 p.m. CT, then closes the road trip in San Antonio on Friday at 7 p.m. CT. The Mavericks close the regular season at home against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, April 12.