As the Emirates NBA Cup continues its group stage play, two struggling Western Conference teams will go head-to-head. The 3-9 Mavericks host the 3-8 Clippers at the American Airlines Center.
The Friday night bout (8:30 p.m. ET) sees stars like PG James Harden and rookie F Cooper Flagg battle it out. As the cream of the conference rises to the top, both sides are aiming to snap out of early-season funks.
Below, we’ll break down a Clippers vs. Mavericks prediction and picks to consider for Friday night’s game. Use PrizePicks NBA to make player picks and win money if you’re right.
Clippers vs. Mavericks Prediction, Preview for Friday, 11/14
Friday marks the 178th all-time meeting between the Clippers and Mavericks. Dallas holds the series lead with a 101-76 record, although things tilted a season ago with Los Angeles going 3-1. The two sides faced each other in 2024’s Western Conference playoffs, with Dallas securing a 4-2 series win when PG Luka Doncic was still in town.
Coming into this clash, it’s injuries galore. On the Clippers’ side, F Kawhi Leonard continues to battle an ankle/foot injury, and SG Bradley Beal is out for the year due to a hip fracture.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, are without PG Kyrie Irving as he rehabs his torn ACL. F P.J. Washington (shoulder), F/C Anthony Davis (calf/Achilles), and C Dereck Lively II (knee) are questionable.
Los Angeles Clippers Preview vs. Mavericks
Los Angeles won 50 games a season ago, although it didn’t come in handy come playoff time. For the third straight postseason, head coach Tyronn Lue’s crew was dispatched in the first round.
This year, things aren’t going any better. The Clippers’ 3-8 start is made even worse by a -4.9 relative pace and a -5.1 relative defensive rating.
The Clippers do serious damage inside the arc, ranking sixth in two-point percentage at 57.0. With that said, they don’t get into the paint much (22nd in paint PPG) and are a middling 3-point shooting club (36.5%, 15th).
Opponents don’t score in the paint much on L.A. (45.3 PPG, sixth-lowest), but they can treys at a high clip (39.4%, second-highest).
Dallas Mavericks Preview vs. Clippers
Last season saw the Mavericks falter once Doncic got traded to the Lakers. They finished 39-43, missing the playoffs for the second time in three years.
Due to a combination of injuries and lackluster offense (29th in offensive rating), Dallas is off to its worst start since 2017.
Dallas is dead last in scoring and is sloppy with the ball, ranking second-to-last in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.53).
The Mavericks are a poor fastbreak defense (17.6 PPG, 26th) but rank 10th in opposing scoring (114.3 PPG).
Clippers vs. Mavericks NBA Picks, Stats for PrizePicks Today
Here are three top Clippers vs. Mavericks picks to target on Friday. Key PrizePicks player projections are headlined by L.A.’s PG-C duo of James Harden and Ivica Zubac, as well as rookie Dallas F Cooper Flagg.
Clippers PG James Harden vs. Mavericks Projection: 34.5 Pts+Asts
- In his last six games, Harden is averaging 34.3 combined points and assists.
- The Beard remains in the 100th percentile in potential assists per 100 with 20.6, according to databallr.
- Per FantasyPros, the Mavericks allow the 10th-highest assist average (9.18) to PGs this season.
- Dallas’ combination of offensive ineptitude, paired with the fifth-fastest pace in the league, could gift Harden and the Clippers additional possessions.
Clippers C Ivica Zubac vs. Mavericks Projection: 27.5 Pts+Rebs
- Zubac averages 10.5 rebounds per game this season, his second year in a row with a double-digit benchmark every night.
- Since poor rebound showings of 7, 5, and 8 to open the season, Zubac averaged 11.9 per game in his last eight outings.
- Despite the Clippers’ 0-4 record in their last four, Zubac netted 18.8 PPG in that span.
- Via databallr, Zubac’s defensive rebounding (93rd percentile) and self-rebounding (94th) are both elite marks.
- No team allows more rebounds per game than the Mavericks at 61.3.
Mavericks F Cooper Flagg vs. Clippers Projection: 10.5 Rebs+Asts
- Flagg averages 10.1 combined rebounds and assists per game early in his rookie season.
- The No. 1 overall pick is filling up the stat sheet in his last three contests, posting 7.3 RPG and 5.3 APG.
- Flagg sits in the 83rd percentile in potential assists per 100 (10.3) and the 91st percentile in defensive rebounding rate (13.9%).
- The Clippers’ defense is 23rd in assists per game yielded (27.9) and 25th in opposing assist-to-turnover ratio (2.05).
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