The Los Angeles Clippers pulled away from the Dallas Mavericks in the second half on Monday, pushing Dallas’ preseason record to 0-3, as the Clippers celebrated a 110-96 victory in the very first game played in the newly christened Intuit Dome. in Inglewood.

A Mavericks lineup devoid of stars and leaders searched all night for someone who could consistently make something happen, but without Luka Dončić (calf), Kyrie Irving (rest), Dante Exum (wrist) and Maxi Kleber (ankle), the Dallas attack sputtered for a while as getting out of the building healthy became priority number one.

The Mavs scored 29 goals that halted all momentum in the throwaway loss in Los Angeles – to the Clippers’ 19. LA took a 56–51 lead into halftime, and Dallas’ level of play largely changed from there. Jaden Hardy (16 points, three rebounds, four assists) took over some of the ball-handling duties early and led the charge at times while racking up a game-high five turnovers. Jazian Gortman scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half and went 3-for-5 from 3-point range as he continues his bid for a roster spot.

And yes, Klay Thompson shot 0-for-9 from the field and turned the ball over four more times in his second pre-season game as a Dallas Maverick, but it’s easy to throw up numbers like that, and total team turnovers, when three of the guys missing from the Mavericks are among the team’s best space makers. There’s no way Mavs fans are freaking out about this…right?

New signee Kevin Porter Jr. led the way for the Clippers, who posted six scorers in double figures, with 18 points and six assists on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. Here are a few Mavericks who found a way to have a good game even when things got ugly in LA.

Quentin Grimes

Reserve guard Quentin Grimes’ stock is rising like no other on the Mavs’ roster. He should see more minutes off the bench due to Exum’s wrist injury, and he’s shaping up nicely. He is one of the few role players on Dallas’ roster that doesn’t need Dončić or Irving to create space for him. He scored a game-high 20 points in the loss, shooting 7-of-11 from the field. He hit three 3-pointers and looked smooth on the wing and in the midrange as he was chased from the arc. He did turn the ball over four times. It was contagious out there.

Dereck Vivid II

Lively and Daniel Gafford tied for the Mavericks’ team lead in rebounds with seven apiece, 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 initiated the offense before all semblance of order and reason on that side of the ball broke down in the second half and also finished the night with five assists. He was a great dribble-transfer hub and created consistent rim-running lanes for himself even when the lobs weren’t coming out on this Monday night.

The Mavericks return to action on Thursday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks. Tip-off at the American Airlines Center is scheduled for 6:30 AM.

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