LOS ANGELES — Forward Blake Griffin scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers rolled to a 104-88 victory over the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night at Staples Center.
Guard Jamal Crawford added 15 points off the bench as the Clippers (2-0) prevailed in their home opener. Guards Austin Rivers and J.J. Reddick scored 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Guard John Jenkins had 17 points and forward Dirk Nowitzki 16 to lead the Mavericks (1-1).
Dallas played without guard Deron Williams and forward Wesley Matthews. Williams sustained a left knee contusion in Wednesday’s 111-95 blowout of the Phoenix Suns, while Matthews, who scored nine points in the rout, was held out for precautionary reasons. Matthews had surgery on a torn left Achilles tendon last March and club officials refused to risk playing him in back-to-back games this early in the season.
The Clippers also were playing for the second night in a row, coming off a 111-104 win over the Kings in Sacramento on Wednesday night.
Both teams were sluggish offensively in the first half but the Clippers got the better of it. After a Nowitzki jumper pulled Dallas to within 34-32, Los Angeles went on a 9-0 run for a 43-32 advantage on reverse layup by point guard Chris Paul with 3:10 left in the second quarter.
Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who reneged on a verbal agreement with the Mavericks this summer before remaining with Los Angeles, and Nowitzki had a brief altercation with 1:41 left in the second quarter after Nowitzki fouled Jordan under the Clippers’ basket. Players from both teams began jawing at each other before technical were issued to Jordan, Griffin and Mavericks guard Raymond Felton.
The Mavericks began their hack-a-Jordan strategy from that point on, fouling Jordan on each of the Clippers’ next three possessions. Jordan missed five of six attempts but the Clippers managed to take a 51-43 lead at the half.
Los Angeles shot 41.9 percent (18-for-43) in the first half compared to 36.2 percent (17-for-47) for Dallas.
The Clippers outscored the Mavericks 34-25 in the third, capped by Rivers 3-point basket to end the quarter, for an 85-68 cushion.
NOTES:
NBA commissioner Adam Silver attended the game. … The NBA fined Los Angeles G Austin Rivers $25,000 for throwing a seat cushion into the stands Wednesday during the Clippers’ win over the host Sacramento Kings. The cushion struck a female fan. … Both coaches downplayed the significance of Clippers C DeAndre Jordan playing against the Mavericks for the first time since he spurned them this summer to stay with the Clippers. “That’s over. Our franchise has moved on from there months ago,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle. Clippers coach Doc Rivers reiterated that he believes Jordan made the right decision. … The Kings visit the Clippers on Saturday, while the Mavericks will remain in Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Sunday at Staples Center.