NBA highlights on Nov. 25: Clippers beat Mavericks by isolating Doncic

The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Dallas Mavericks 107-88 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, securing their fourth win of the past five games.

The Mavericks had averaged 121.5 points, the third-most of all 30 teams in the NBA, with the sixth-fastest pace (101.2) and the third-best offensive rating (120.1) before Saturday's game. However, they had allowed 119.1 points per game, the seventh most, with the eighth-worst defensive rating (117.6).

Simply speaking, the Mavericks pocketed most of their 10 wins so far this season by beating their opponents in fast, point-exchanging contests. The foundations of this style of playing are the epic scoring abilities of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, who is also a master orchestrator.

The Clippers didn't let the game fall into the Mavericks' rhythm on Saturday night. They were patient enough to turn nearly every possession into half-court offense unless there was a clearly open opportunity for fast break. The team didn't miss the opponents' weakness of lacking effective rim protection, adding extra physicality every time they charged the paint. Such efforts translated into as many as 31 free throws and 57 points in the paint. By contrast, the Mavericks only went to the free throw line 14 times and scored no more than 32 points in the paint.

The Clippers did well in guarding Doncic and Irving, or more specifically, cutting them from the rest of the team. Without Dereck Lively II (lower back contusion) as a solid finisher under the hoop, the Mavericks had to pivot more on perimeter shooting. When Doncic and Irving called for screens, defenders would either switch quickly or try to beat the screens so Doncic and Irving could neither get open shots easily nor find open teammates nearby. Doncic was capable of passing to the Mavericks in the two corners or under the hoop, but the whole team shot poorly from downtown and whoever got the ball in the restricted area was unlikely to make shots.

Doncic and Irving combined to shoot 19-for-34 within the 3-point line, but missed 11 of their 15 triple attempts. Meanwhile, the two delivered only seven assists in total but committed five turnovers.

Other games on Saturday (away teams come first):

Philadelphia 76ers 127-123 Oklahoma City Thunder

The 76ers ended the Thunder's six-game winning streak in the exciting contest between two modern centers, Joel Embiid and Chet Holmgren, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Embiid was one assist away from getting a triple-double that included 35 points and 11 rebounds. He knocked down 19 shots at the free throw line.

Holmgren didn't match Embiid in aggression, but he went 5-for-11 behind the arc to score 33 points, 21 of which happened in the second half. He and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to outscore the opponents 41-34 in the fourth quarter. This game could have ended with a different result if Embiid hadn't made all six of his free throws in the final nine seconds.

Los Angeles Lakers 121-115 Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James "came home" to Cleveland and received more than a bleeding nose caused by Evan Mobley in the first quarter. He shot 8-for-23 from the field, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the leader in field goal (FG) attempts (28,316) in NBA history. Moreover, James also earned seven free throws, reaching 11,097 attempts on this front and surpassing Moses Malone in fourth place in league history.

Nonetheless, the best-performing Laker at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday was Anthony Davis, who knocked down 13 of his 20 FGs to get 32 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and three blocks. Both Mobley and Jarrett Allen performed well, but they couldn't stop Davis from dominating the paint.

Miami Heat 97-112 Brooklyn Nets

Atlanta Hawks 136-108 Washington Wizards

New Orleans Pelicans 100-105 Utah Jazz