LA Clippers Throttle Mavericks At Home

Twenty-four hours after the Lakers fell short against the Timberwolves, the LA Clippers came into the Staples Center and overwhelmed the Dallas Mavericks 104-88.

While much of the match-up focused on the DeAndre Jordan saga, Thursday night was more about the identity of the Clippers.

After an inauspicious end to their season, the team was subject to a reinvigorated wave of the long-time criticism of the franchise.

Their post-season collapse filled sports talk radio.  Their failure inspired a wave of internet memes that spoke to their reputation in the minds of the casual fan.

The rafters of the Staples Center themselves seemed to lend to the Clippers reputation; pop-sensation Taylor Swift was honored with a banner in the arena before the long-suffering franchise reached the pinnacle to earn their own.

On national television, the Clippers took the opportunity to showcase what they hope is a new team in more ways than one.

The new faces of the team aided the cause to showcase a squad motivated to make the post-season in the loaded Western Conference.

Even their revamped logo served to show that it was a new team and above all else reminded fans that the logo and team was not simply a re-hash of the Lakers.

Following a successful season opener in Sacramento, the Clippers picked up where they left off the night before.

Early on, their was a scuffle that caught the attention of the internet as DeAndre Jordan made contact with Dirk Nowitzki in a move that shook the Mavs forward.

Blake Griffin once again led both teams with 26 points and 10 rebounds.  Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers, and J.J. Redick followed him as the other players in double-figures for the Clippers.

Notable new additions Paul Pierce and Wesley Johnson provided six points apiece.

More from LA Sports Hub

• Lakers: 5 Players to Target Through Trades to make another championship run
• LA Chargers: Week 8 against Denver Broncos is a must-win
• LA Rams: Jared Goff wants to keep the Los Angeles title streak going
• Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers interested in Rajon Rondo
• LA Chargers: Justin Herbert wins AFC Rookie of the Month

Jordan provided six points and 15 rebounds in what was a more subdued night for the center.

In the second half, the Mavericks went to the Hack-a-Shaq strategy to force Jordan to the free-throw line where he was only 2-8 on the night.

John Jenkins led the Mavericks with 17 points while Nowitzki provided 16.  J.J. Barea and Devin Harris had 12 points off the bench however their efforts were not enough as the Clippers remained well ahead in the fourth quarter.

The most notable story before the game were statements made by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban who said:

"“You can change the owner, you can change the players, but the Clippers are who they’ve been for the past 30 years.”"

The former Clippers owner made his thoughts evident during the game as well:

The Staples Center poked at the situation during the game by putting both Cuban and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer on the Kiss-Cam, which you can see here.

The Clippers are now 2-0 to open the season and will play again on Saturday when they face the Sacramento Kings at home.