Mo Williams welcomed himself back into the rotation with 18 points off the bench in the first half, as the Los Angeles Clippers lead the Dallas Mavericks 52-51 at halftime Wednesday night at Staples Center. Williams, who missed the previous three games with a sore right foot, didn't miss a shot in the opening 24 minutes, making all seven shots from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, and both free throw attempts.
Even without point guard Chris Paul, out for his third straight game with a strained left hamstring, it was a guard-heavy first half, with Chauncey Billups added a trio of three-pointers of his own en route to 14 points for the Clippers, and Delonte West leading Dallas with a 17-point first half, already setting a new season high in scoring.
DeAndre Jordan nearly had a double-double in the first half, scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds for the Clippers, who shot 48.8% (10 for 21) in the opening half. Blake Griffin added six points and seven boards for Los Angeles.
Dirk Nowitzki, who missed shootaround Wednesday morning for Dallas because he was sick, chipped in with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting. The Mavericks shot 41.7% (20 for 48) from the field in the first half
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