Mavericks go big to take lead on Clippers
Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford.
In the new small-ball NBA, Jason Kidd and the Mavericks took a 3-2 series lead by going big.
The Mavericks leaned heavily on their big men in Wednesday’s 123-93 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Dereck Lively II played 25 minutes, Maxi Kleber played 19 and Daniel Gafford played 19, all before Kidd cleared his bench with five minutes to go.
They took advantage of the Clippers’ lack of beef with Kawhi Leonard sidelined. While they have Ivica Zubac and Mason Plumlee at center, the rest of the roster isn’t exactly small, but they’re not big. Five of the eight Clippers with the most minutes are listed at between 210 and 220 pounds, and Russell Westbrook weighs 200.
That created opportunities for Dallas to bully the smaller Clippers, often using lineups with two centers, with great success. It helps that the 6-foot-10, 240-pound Kleber can stretch the floor, sinking five of his seven three-pointers in Game 5. In the series, he’s 9-for-15 from behind the arc.
Kleber played alongside Gafford or Lively for 19 minutes Wednesday night, and the Mavericks were +17 in those minutes. While Kleber isn’t the ideal rim protector, he’s quick for his size and with his shooting, he can thrive with a bigger center in the paint.
With Leonard out, the Clippers have limited options. They tried the little-used P.J. Tucker for the first time this series, and he was -10 in his 10 minutes. They could go to Daniel Theis, but it’s more likely that the Clippers lean harder into small ball and hope their three-pointers fall (L.A. was 9-for-35 from three in Game 5).
The size may mean Dallas has a better chance against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are awaiting the winner of this series. OKC has been great all year, but its biggest weakness is size, as the Thunder start a 6-foor-5 power forward in Jalen Williams. This means that playing “big ball” might be here to stay for the Mavericks.
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