The Clippers' second game was in L.A. against the Mavericks. There was palpable tension leading up to the game, both as a home game opener and the first Mavs game after Deandre Jordan's eventful offseason. However, the game did not live up to the atmosphere, the Mavericks took a 3 point lead very early on before 4 points from Blake and DJ put the Clips in front and they never looked back, leading to a 16 point win. In fact the only sign of tension among the players was a brief scuffle after a Dirk Nowitzki foul on Deandre Jordan resulting in technical fouls for Griffin, Jordan and Raymond Felton.
Blake once again led the way offensively, scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Deandre scored 6, got 15 rebounds and 4 blocks. The rest of the starters (Paul, Redick and Stephenson) scored 18 on 8-22 shooting. Paul also had an unusually low (for him) 5 assists. The improved bench continued to show its strength with Rivers and Crawford combining for 29 points. Wesley Johnson also had a 6 point and 7 rebound game.
The Mavericks were fielding a weakened side with starting guards Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews out injured.
Up next is the second game of the season series against the Kings, this time in the Staples Center.
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