Clippers Injury Report: LA Has the Advantage Over the Shorthanded Mavericks

The Los Angeles Clippers take on the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday on the first night of their last back-to-back of the season. With four games left in the regular season, the Clippers can't afford to drop games against teams they have to beat, and the tanking Mavs are one of them. At 25-53, Dallas has no incentive to win, and the Clippers have all the motivation in the world as they hope to clinch the No. 8 seed over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Motivation isn't going to be the only difference between teams on Tuesday. The Cippers will also have a significant health advantage over the Mavs. On their injury report, the Clippers only listed Isaiah Jackson out with an ankle sprain in addition to the usual absences of Bradley Beal and Yanic Konan Niederhauser.

Kawhi Leonard & Darius Garland Off the Clippers Injury Report on Tuesday

In Jackson's absence, the center rotation will once again be the biggest question mark for head coach Ty Lue. The Clippers only have one healthy center on the roster: Brook Lopez. This means that they will rely heavily on small-ball lineups with John Collins at center.

Lue made a starting lineup change in the last game, inserting Kris Dunn into the starting five and moving Collins to the bench. That paid dividends against the Kings, and one has to assume that it will continue against the Mavs.

Most importantly, Clippers fans were happy to see Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland off the injury report. Leonard dealt with an ankle sprain and a wrist injury over the last couple of weeks and was in and out of the injury report with a questionable tag. The fact that he didn't appear on there on Tuesday is a great sign before the playoffs. Garland has similarly popped up on the injury report with an injury designation on one end of a back-to-back since arriving in LA. Considering that he is playing against Dallas, his status should be considered questionable at best for tomorrow's clash against OKC.

Dallas, on the other hand, has an extensive injury list. Dereck Lively and Kyrie Irving have already been ruled out for the season. Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, Caleb Martin, and Brandon Williams are listed as doubtful. This means that the Mavs will be shorthanded in LA as they count down the days until the draft lottery.

Like the rest of the lottery teams, the Mavericks have been playing a lot of players lower on the totem pole, including on two-way deals and two-way contracts. Unlike other non-playoff teams, however, the Mavericks still put out a decent amount of talent. In their most recent win against the Lakers on Sunday, star rookie Cooper Flagg played over 38 minutes, while veterans Klay Thompson and Khris Middleton saw action off the bench.

Regardless of the Mavs' rotation, however, the Clippers have to take care of business before they take on the Thunder on Wednesday as they continue their pursuit of a playoff spot.