Caron Butler scored 23 as the Clippers tried to battle back into the game, but ultimately the Los Angeles Clippers fell short as the Dallas Mavericks held on to win 96-92. The Clipper defense improved in the second half, dragging the Mavs' shooting percentage down to 44%. However, the Clippers continued to turn the ball over too easily, getting destroyed in the turnover battle.
Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion were the leading scorers for the Mavs, with 22 and 16 points respectively. Dallas had five players in double figures, as did LA. In fact, the Clippers not only had Caron Butler with 23 and Blake Griffin with 20, but Chris Paul stepped it up in the second half to finish with 16 points.
The difference between the teams was in the play of the benches. Lamar Odom and Jason Terry combined for 18 Dallas points, while outside of the five players in double figures, the Clippers only got 12 points combined. The turnovers certainly didn't help either, as LA turned the ball over 21 times.
While Dallas had 10 fewer turnovers than the Clippers, it was point guard Jason Kidd whose bad pass with 10 seconds left in the game almost gave LA the game. With the Clips down by just two points, Caron Butler missed the three pointer from the left side which would have won the game.
The Grammy road trip has come to a close, and the Clippers now return to the Staples Center to host the Wizards on Wednesday.
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