Quentin Grimes leads bench scoring barrage as Mavericks beat Clippers 113-97 without Luka Doncic

By The Associated Press

Dallas Mavericks guard Quentin Grimes (5) shoots against Los Angeles Clippers guard Kevin Porter Jr. (77) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/LM Otero]

DALLAS (AP) — Quentin Grimes scored 20 points off the bench, 14 in the fourth quarter, leading eight Mavericks in double figures as Dallas beat the Los Angeles Clippers 113-97 on Saturday night despite missing leading scorer Luka Doncic.

Doncic, fifth in the NBA with 28.9 points per game, missed his second consecutive game with a left heel contusion.

Klay Thompson scored 16 points, and Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie had 15 apiece.

Irving, Dallas’ second-leading scorer who averages 23.9 points, missed the previous game with a sore shoulder.

During one stretch midway through the final period, Grimes hit consecutive 3-pointers and was then fouled behind the arc on Dallas’ next shot and hit all three free throws.

Norman Powell scored 28 points for the Clippers, who split a two-game series at Dallas. James Harden and Kevin Porter Jr. each added 19.

The Mavericks outscored the Clippers 31-18 in the second period to lead 54-40 at halftime, outshooting them 47.8% to 22.2%.

Takeaways

Clippers: Ivica Zubac had 13 points and 15 rebounds for his 19th double-double. Harden passed Tim Duncan to move into 16th place in NBA career scoring with 26,503 points.

Mavericks: Dereck Lively II had 11 points and 11 rebounds as Dallas improved to 6-2 without Doncic.

Key moment

Irving was 1 of 10 and 0 of 3 on 3-pointers before hitting a second-chance 3 with 1:07 to play in the first half. From that point, he shot 5 of 15 with two 3-pointers.

Key stat

The Mavericks led in bench points 46-24 paced by Grimes, Daniel Gafford with 13 and Naji Marshall with 12.

Up next

The Clippers will finish a three-game road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. The Mavericks will host the Portland Trail Blazers in the third game of a four-game homestand.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba