Overview
- Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center for the group-stage meeting between Los Angeles (3–8) and Dallas (3–9).
- Dallas has lost six of seven and is 0–6 against the West, while the Clippers enter on a six-game skid after a defensive slide that has rated near the bottom of the league.
- The Mavericks list PJ Washington (shoulder), Anthony Davis (calf) and Dereck Lively II (knee) as questionable, as the Clippers travel without Bradley Beal (season-ending hip fracture) and with Kawhi Leonard ruled out again.
- Dallas has elevated Brandon Williams to pair with rookie Cooper Flagg, a combo posting a +6.8 net rating that outperforms Flagg’s minutes with other guards per Cleaning the Glass.
- Early odds at DraftKings price the Clippers as 3.5-point favorites with a total near 219.5, and prop leans highlight Ivica Zubac’s rebounding chances and Cooper Flagg’s usage, with some analysts eyeing James Harden’s assists under.