Barnes, Jordan star in Mavericks’ 114-110 win over Clippers
By DAVE JACKSON
DALLAS (AP) _ Harrison Barnes scored 30 points, and Dorian Finney-Smith tipped in a rebound with 35 seconds remaining to give Dallas the lead for good in the Mavericks’ 114-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night.
Mavericks center DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and 23 rebounds in his first game against his former team.
Lou Williams gave the Clippers just their second lead of the second half at 110-109 with a 3-pointer with 46.9 left, before Barnes drove the lane and missed _ but Finney-Smith was there for a tip-in.
Jordan then stole the ball from Williams and made one of two free throws for a 112-110 lead with 27.3 seconds to play. Dennis Smith Jr. blocked Tobias Harris’ shot and made the clinching free throws with 9.2 seconds left.
The game featured two loose-ball scraps between the Mavs’ Dennis Smith Jr. and the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley _ the first resulting in Smith losing part of a tooth, and the second in Beverley’s ejection after a technical foul.
Montrezl Harrell scored 23 points to lead the Clippers, and Danilo Gallinari and Williams each had 21
Dallas led for most of the second half, but Harrell scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to bring the Clippers back. He scored on a dunk while getting
fouled to tie the score at 107 with 1:15 to play, but missed the free throw.
Dallas played without rookie Luka Doncic, who suffered a right hip strain Friday against the Lakers. Without a true wing off the bench, Barnes played 38 minutes.
Following a 10-0 LA run that gave the Clippers their biggest lead at 48-39 in the second quarter, the Mavericks answered with a 21-4 burst. Barea scored 12 points in the run. Jordan’s first basket of the game was an emphatic slam off an alley-oop pass from Dennis Smith Jr. to tie it at 52.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Coach Doc Rivers on Jordan’s free-throw shooting, which has improved to 77 percent after averaging 45 percent in his first 10 seasons: “I told him that we’re going to check him, we’re going to see how good it really is.” Jordan was 4 of 7 from the line Sunday.
Mavericks: In addition to Doncic, reserve forward Maxi Kleber sat out with right knee soreness. Coach Rick Carlisle doesn’t believe either injury is serious. … Carlisle also said Dirk Nowitzki is “getting closer” to returning from offseason ankle surgery but had no date for his return.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Second half of a back-to-back Monday night at New Orleans.
Mavericks: Host Portland on Tuesday.
DeRozan’s season-high 36 help Spurs beat Blazers, 131-118
By RAUL DOMINGUEZ
SAN ANTONIO (AP) _ DeMar DeRozan had a season-high 36 points and the San Antonio Spurs overcame a big game by Damian Lillard, rebounding from a pair of lopsided losses to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 131-118 on Sunday night.
The Spurs held a practice Saturday morning following consecutive losses of 39 points and 31 points and the team responded with its highest point total in two weeks.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 29 points and Rudy Gay had 18 as the Spurs snapped a two-game skid.
Lillard scored 37 points for Portland, and C.J. McCollum had 24.
DeRozan scored 26 points in the second half as the Spurs rallied from a seven-point deficit in the third quarter after blowing a 12-point lead in the first half.
Portland opened the second half on a 24-10 run in taking a 79-72 lead. San Antonio aided the spurt by committing four turnovers and missing five of its first six shots.
Al-Farouq Aminu tied a season high, scoring 11 of his 20 points in the third quarter. Aminu also finished with nine rebounds.
DeRozan scored 18 of San Antonio’s final 20 points to close the third quarter, giving the Spurs a 97-90 lead entering the fourth.
The Spurs made four 3-pointers in the fourth to fend off the Blazers.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Every starter scored in double figures except Maurice Harkless, who finished with eight points on 3-for-5 shooting. . Aminu also scored 20 points against Denver on Nov. 30. . Evan Turner missed the game with an inflamed left Achilles tendon. Turner had played in every previous game, averaging 8.2 points in 26 minutes per game.
Spurs: Aldridge became the 69th player in NBA history with 7,000 field goals, joining Pau Gasol and former Spurs George Gervin, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Kevin Willis, Dale Ellis, Terry Cummings, Moses Malone and Dominique Wilkins. . DeRozan’s previous season high was 34 points, accomplished three times. . Marco Belinelli missed his first game of the season, sitting out due to neck stiffness.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: At Dallas on Tuesday night.
Spurs: At Utah on Tuesday night.