Los Angeles Clippers vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction: Clippers are struggling, the Mavs need Doncic

NBA is on and what an amazing season this has been with various records being broken. There is still a lot of action left and we are still half of a year or so removed from learning who will lift the trophy in this grinding and non-stop journey. Talking about records being broken, Luka Doncic registered a unique triple-double with 61 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists just a few weeks ago. His Dallas Mavericks are going to take on the Los Angeles Clippers in an inter-Conference battle.

The Clippers continued their string of losses as they lost 108:112 against the Atlanta Hawks despite a 29 points performance by Kawhi Leonard. This was their sixth straight loss due to which they have faced a downturn in results with just 21 wins and 21 losses. This has been another grueling season for the Clippers’ fans as the duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul Goerge doesn’t feature together for even half of the games. At this rate, the Clippers are in danger of falling behind in the Play-in consideration so they need to pick their slack.

The troubles have been the same as last season, poor offense and the lack of consistency to close out games which causes them to lose even against vulnerable squads. The roster surely needs some changes as Norman Powell, Reggie Jackson, and John Wall hasn’t had the intended impact while the rotations still look a tad unclear even when we are at the midway point. After being a top defense for most of the defense, the Clippers’ confidence is now shaking on that end too.

The Mavericks come into this game after a 109:120 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder despite a 27 points and 17 rebounds performance by Christian Wood. This was their second loss in three games but they still hold a decent record of 23 wins and 18 losses. However, it should be pointed out that Dallas made the West Finals last season and this season they came in with much higher expectations which they have been unable to meet thus far. But last season they also struggled in the first half and made headways in the second half of the season.

As usual, the Mavs have ridden the hot hand of Luka Doncic who has turned up another record-breaking season and has made Dallas a winning team. The Mavs’ defense has again shown discipline but their offense has major issues at times. Apart from Doncic, Christian Wood has been the most consistent scorer whereas Tim Hardaway and Spencer Dinwiddie have been up and down but have still brought some decent nights. Overall, the Mavs lack a dependable offensive option who can score 20+ apart from Luka.

• Clippers: OUT: Paul George, Luke Kennard;
• Mavericks: OUT: Maxi Kleber, Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Green. Game-Time Decision: Luka Doncic.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Luka Doncic(30-35 Points)-QUES, Kawhi Leonard(26-32 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Ivica Zubac(11-13 Rebounds), Luka Doncic(9-12 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Luka Doncic(9-11 Assists), John Wall(5-8 Assists).

The Clippers have been in tatters lately which means that they need some boost. Not having George hurts but frankly, the veteran unit should have done a much better job. The Mavericks’ effort is mostly dependent upon Luka Doncic, who is questionable for the game. This can be a low scorer because I believe the Clippers will play tight defense here. I see the Clippers breaking their losing streak and I predict a scoreline of 111:105 in favor of the Clippers.