Dallas Mavericks stay in Los Angeles for back-to-back against Clippers

The Dallas Mavericks are already ten games under .500 just 20 games into the season. To say it's not been the year they imagined after drafting Cooper Flagg first overall would be an understatement.

They lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 129-119 on Friday night in an emotional battle, as any game against Luka Doncic will be forever. It was a balanced scoring attack from the Mavs, as they had eight different players in double figures, led by P.J. Washington's 22 points, but it wasn't enough to counteract the star power of the Lakers, as Luka Doncic had 35 points and 11 assists, while Austin Reaves actually led the way with 38 points and 8 rebounds. One of those two players should be a Maverick. Thanks, Nico Harrison.

Cooper Flagg had his best playmaking game of the season with 13 points and 11 assists, but it would be nice if he could get more shots. He may have that chance, as it's a back-to-back for the Mavericks, since they play the LA Clippers on Saturday night.

Dallas has already lost once this year to the Clips, which is one of just two wins the Clippers have had in November. It's a back-to-back for them as well, as they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Friday night.

Nov 22, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) reacts after scoring during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Both of these teams are bad. The Clippers are old, and despite James Harden playing at an All-NBA level, they just cannot get any wins. It doesn't help that Bradley Beal is out for the season with a fractured hip, Derrick Jones Jr. has a sprained MCL, and Kawhi Leonard has only played in 9 games, but when you have an elite pick-and-roll duo of Harden and Ivica Zubac, they should be better than this.

Speaking of injuries, Anthony Davis made his return on Friday night after missing 14 games due to a calf strain, and he looked in better shape, but put up 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 28 minutes. He was on a minute restriction for Friday, but he'll be out on Saturday while he continues to recover from this injury.