LOS ANGELES — Jamal Crawford scored 22 points off the bench, and J.J. Redick contributed 20 more, sparking the Los Angeles Clippers to a 98-91 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday at Staples Center.
Blake Griffin collected 17 points on 7 of 18 shooting, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Clippers (52-28), who snapped Dallas’ six-game winning streak. DeAndre Jordan added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles, while Jeff Green chipped in 11 points.
Reserve guard Raymond Felton led the Mavericks (41-39) with 21 points. Deron Williams had 15 points, Dirk Nowitzki scored 14 and Charlie Villanueva finished with 11 points for the Mavericks (41-39), who dropped a 1 1/2 games back of Portland for the No. 5 spot and a game behind Memphis at No. 6.
Dallas guard J.J. Barea missed the contest with a sore groin.
The Mavericks rallied from a 17-point, third-quarter deficit to within 89-84 after a 3-pointer by Villanueva with 3:46 left in the contest.
However, a three-point play by Griffin and trey by Crawford, sandwiched around two Felton free throws, put the Clippers up 95-86 with 2:58 remaining. That practically sealed it for the Clippers, who took three of four regular-season contests from the Mavericks.
There were 10 lead chances and nine ties in the first half before the Clippers pushed ahead 49-47 at the break. Los Angeles led despite making just two of nine foul shots (23.1 percent), with Jordan being the main offender by missing five of six. The Mavericks converted 14 of 16 (87.5 percent).
Overall, the Clippers made 15 of 37. Jordan hit just six of 23. The Mavericks were 23 of 33 from the line.
The Mavericks intentionally started fouling Jordan in the third quarter. However, they couldn’t take advantage of his misses, falling behind 62-53 after Redick nailed a 3-pointer after the Clippers center misfired on a free throw at 6:06 of the third.
By the end of the third quarter, a steal by Cole Aldrich and a bucket at the horn boosted the Clippers to a 76-59 advantage.
NOTES: When Mavericks F Chandler Parsons was lost for the season, rookie G/F Justin Anderson stepped up in his absence. Anderson responded with a season-best 19-point, 10-rebound performance against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. “He’s going hard, he’s a very good defender, getting a lot of rebounds,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said of Anderson, who averaged 9.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in the previous six games, all wins. … Clippers F Paul Pierce got the day off to rest. … The Mavericks visit the Utah Jazz on Monday in a contest that could determine which club is seeded anywhere from fifth through eighth in the Western Conference playoff chase. Dallas closes the regular season at home Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs. … The Clippers host the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday before wrapping up the regular-season Wednesday at Phoenix against the Suns.