No Compliments for Clippers

Don Nelson wasn’t fooling anybody.

Of the Clippers, who were 2-0 against the Dallas Mavericks before Tuesday night’s game in the American Airlines Center, the Maverick coach said Monday: “They are very athletic. Everything that they are, we’re not.”

Responded Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy, whose team trails the Mavericks by 11 1/2 games in the Western Conference playoff race: “I feel bad for that CBA team we’re playing tonight. Their lack of talent really has us salivating.”

Of course, he was kidding.

Whether suitably motivated by Nelson’s cutting comment, simply the superior team, or both, the Mavericks flattened the Clippers, 116-91, in front of 20,070, the Mavericks’ 100th consecutive sellout crowd.

With six players scoring in double figures, the Mavericks never trailed. They led by 20 points in the first quarter, when they made 66.7% of their shots, and by 30 after opening the third quarter with an 8-0 run.

“I already know what it’s going to say,” Dunleavy said afterward, handed a copy of the final statistics. “We got our butts kicked.”

The loss matched the Clippers’ most lopsided of the season.

Out of hope early, and with another game tonight at New Orleans, Dunleavy went to his bench early, allowing his starters to sit and watch.

Elton Brand, in foul trouble early, played 21 minutes, finishing with season lows of eight points and one rebound. Quentin Richardson scored seven points in 32 minutes, Marko Jaric none in 16. All sat out the fourth quarter.

“I didn’t see the run I needed to give me the vision needed to pull off a miracle tonight,” Dunleavy said, “so I just pulled the plug early.”

In a 10-point victory at Dallas on Dec. 20, their second over the Mavericks in 11 days, the Clippers never led by fewer than four points in the second half, handing the Mavericks one of only four losses in 29 home games.

Since then, however, the Clippers are 0-8 on the road against Western Conference opponents. They’re 1-12 since Nov. 14.

In this one, the suspense ended in the first quarter.

“If you don’t bring it defensively, that’s what happens,” Richardson said. “Not a lot of teams can go tit for tat with them, especially when they’re on.”

The Mavericks scored 11 points off six Clipper turnovers and ran out to a 36-16 lead. Antoine Walker scored 11 of his team-high 21 points and Steve Nash collected six of his eight assists before the first quarter was finished.

Michael Finley finished with 20 points, Dirk Nowitzki 16.

“They’re a very talented team, and when they’re stroking the ball they’re very hard to beat, but we didn’t do a very good job defensively,” Dunleavy said. “We got beat too easily off the dribble

“We haven’t had many of these nights; it’s been a while. But we definitely didn’t have our A or B game tonight.”

Brand, meanwhile, vented his frustration with the officiating.

“I don’t want to discuss it,” he said, “but that was disgusting. They let somebody beat on you, you push them back and they fall on the ground and flop, it’s a foul.... You can’t let nobody just come and hack you all the way down the court. It’s ridiculous. I thought [the officials] were more intelligent than that....

“It needs to be addressed somehow. I think I’ll send Stu [Jackson, the NBA’s senior vice president/basketball operations] a tape or something. Granted, we’re not taking anything away from the Mavericks; they kicked our butts. But it’s very disappointing that you let the refs take you out of the game. Literally.”