Mavericks vs. Clippers recap: Dallas loses third straight preseason game, 110-96

The Los Angeles Clippers outscored the Dallas Mavericks in the second half on Monday, increasing Dallas' preseason record to 0-3, as the Clippers cruised to a 110-96 victory in their first-ever game at the newly christened Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

A Mavericks lineup without its stars and leaders searched all evening for someone who could consistently make a difference, but without Luka Dončić (calf), Kyrie Irving (rest), Dante Exum (wrist) and Maxi Kleber (ankle), the Dallas -Offense sputtered for hours as getting out of the building healthy became the top priority.

The Mavs recorded 29 turnovers, which stopped any momentum in the away loss in Los Angeles – compared to 19 turnovers for the Clippers. LA took a 56-51 lead at halftime, and Dallas' level of play largely changed from there. Jaden Hardy (16 points, three rebounds, four assists) took on some ball-handling duties early and provided the offense at times while committing five game-winning turnovers. Jazian Gortman scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half and shot 3 of 5 from 3-point range as he continues to hope for a spot on the roster.

And yes, Klay Thompson shot 0 of 9 from the field and turned the ball over four more times in his second preseason game as a Dallas Maverick, but it's easy to put up numbers like that, and the team's total turnover is when three of the guys are at the Mavericks lack, are among the team's best space creators. There's no way Mavs fans are panicking about this…right?

Newcomer Kevin Porter Jr. led the Clippers, who scored six double-digit points with 18 points and six assists on 8 of 15 shots from the field. Here are a few Mavericks who found a way to play a good game even when things got ugly in LA.

Quentin Grimes

Backup guard Quentin Grimes' stock is rising like no other on the Mavs' roster. Exum's wrist injury means he is expected to play more minutes off the bench and he is coming into good form. He is one of the few role players on the Dallas roster who doesn't need Dončić or Irving to make room for him. In the loss, he scored a game-high 20 points and shot 7 of 11 from the field. He hit three 3-pointers and looked smooth from both the spot-up and mid-range shots from beyond the arc. However, he turned the ball over four times. It was contagious out there.

Dereck Lively II

Lively and Daniel Gafford shared the Mavericks' team lead with seven rebounds each and both showed strong interior defense at times. But Lively did a little bit of everything for the Mavs. He blocked a few shots on defense. He made plays that started the offense before all order and reason collapsed on that side of the ball in the second half, and also finished the night with five assists. He was a great dribble-handoff hub, creating consistent rim-running lanes for himself even when the lobs weren't coming that Monday night.

The Mavericks will be back in action on Thursday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks. Tipoff at American Airlines Center is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

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