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Davis, Clippers down Mavericks, win first game

Nov 9, 2008 - 11:59 PM By John Reger PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Baron Davis collected 22 points and 10 assists as the Los Angeles Clippers secured their first win of the season, a 103-92 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon.

Al Thornton scored 17 points for the Clippers, who had lost their first six games of the season. The Washington Wizards (0-5) now are the only winless club in the NBA.

"When you have one win out of seven it's not that exciting," Clippers center Chris Kaman said. "But we're happy with the win."

Los Angeles got off to a good start and took control thanks to some folly by Dallas, which shot just 37.5 percent from the field in the first half, including 2-of-10 from the 3-point line.

"There are going to be nights like that and, when you have them, your defense has to keep you in the game," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "We just weren't able to hang in and do it."

The Clippers, on the other hand, had 10 different players score in the first 24 minutes and shot 40 percent from the field.

But it was the 3-point line where the Clippers thrived. They shot 45.5 percent from the arc in the first two quarters and, when Davis hit a 3-pointer with 5:58 in the third, Los Angeles took a 10-point lead. The team finished 9-of-20 from the 3-point line.

It was ironic that the Clippers were so prodigious from long range, since their best 3-point shooter, Tim Thomas, was out with a sprained left ankle.

While Los Angeles was adept at shooting the basketball, it was equally inept in holding onto it. The Mavericks took advantage of 18 turnovers, including two consecutive miscues which led to them pulling within two points with 8:50 remaining in the game.

"Our turnovers killed us," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "In the second half, our turnovers led to layups, and it turned the momentum on us. We stayed tough on defense."

After a timeout by the Clippers, they turned the ball over again and, when Jason Terry hit a jumper, they completed an 8-0 run and tied the game at 79-79.

Unlike previous games where Los Angeles seemed to run out of energy, it countered an 8-0 run of its own, capped off by another 3-pointer for Davis.

"Our young guys really showed some resiliency, clawing back to keep the lead," Davis said. "That's what it's going to take. We've always been confidence, we just had to work through things. We did that today."

When Jason Kidd was called for a flagrant foul on Thornton, it allowed the Clippers to build their biggest lead of the game - 13 points - with 5:26 remaining.

"We played so shaky in the first half," Mavericks swingman Gerald Green said. "We played so much better in the second half, but they made a run and we couldn't stop them."

Dirk Nowitzki tried to get the Mavericks back in the game, scoring on a jumper and a 3-pointer, but could not get his team closer than 10 points.

Rookie Eric Gordon scored 11 points and Paul Davis added 10 for Los Angeles, which won the battle of the benches, outscoring the reserves from Dallas, 34-18.

"We felt we could give them a lift coming off the bench and even bump the lead up like we did today," Davis said. "The bench for us is going to be key for the rest of the season."