The Los Angeles Clippers cruised to a 114-91 victory over the injury-riddled Dallas Mavericks on Friday night at Intuit Dome, securing their third consecutive win.
Kawhi Leonard led the way with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while Ivica Zubac anchored the paint with 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who improved to 45-32 on the season.
Los Angeles jumped out to a 21-8 lead early behind seven straight points from Leonard and never looked back, building a 25-point cushion midway through the second quarter.
Norman Powell added 14 points and James Harden finished with 13 points and five assists as the Clippers shot 49.4% from the field and drained 14 three-pointers.
The Mavericks, now 38-40 and sitting ninth in the West, were without Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.
Naji Marshall was the lone bright spot for Dallas, finishing with 22 points and four assists in 36 minutes.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 18 points and Jaden Hardy chipped in 16 off the bench, but the Mavericks never got within single digits after trailing 29-16 at the end of the first quarter.
Dallas struggled mightily from deep, converting just 4 of 20 three-point attempts (20%), marking their second-worst shooting performance from beyond the arc this season.
Los Angeles dominated the glass 48-39 and forced 17 turnovers, converting them into 22 points.
Bogdan Bogdanovic and Drew Eubanks each scored 12 off the bench, while Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. combined for 17 points and nine rebounds.
The Clippers’ depth proved too much for a depleted Mavericks squad missing multiple key contributors due to injuries or G League assignments.
The Clippers now sit tied with Minnesota and Memphis for the sixth seed, a pivotal position that would allow them to bypass the play-in tournament entirely.
Los Angeles is 13-3 in its last 16 games and appears to be peaking at the right time with only five games left in the regular season.
Meanwhile, Dallas continues to reel in the aftermath of the Luka Doncic trade, losing its fourth game in five outings and slipping further in the standings.
Los Angeles shared the ball effectively, recording 23 assists on 44 made field goals and shooting 46.7% from long range.
The teams will meet again Saturday night in Inglewood for the second game of their back-to-back series, with the Clippers aiming to strengthen their playoff positioning.
