Category: Los Angeles Clippers

Mavericks' Maxi Kleber Suffered Full Shoulder Dislocation, per Report
4 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Mavericks’ Maxi Kleber Suffered Full Shoulder Dislocation, per Report

Dallas Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber suffered a full shoulder dislocation on Friday night in his team's Game 6 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, according to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic.

As a result of the injury, Kleber is expected to miss a significant period of time, if not the remainder of the Mavericks' postseason run.

Kleber suffered the injury on a drive to the basket in the second quarter when he was fouled by Clippers wing Amir Coffey and landed with all his weight on his shoulder.

The injury is significant to Dallas' frontcourt, and is devastating for Kleber, who was really coming into his own this postseason off the Mavericks' bench. Kleber averaged 5.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game off the bench in the team's first-round series.

Kleber will certainly be missed moving forward, as the Mavericks attempt to navigate their upcoming series with Oklahoma City without one of their key frontcourt players.

Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Maxi Kleber, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Ty Lue Addresses Coaching Future After Clippers' Elimination From Playoffs
4 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Ty Lue Addresses Coaching Future After Clippers’ Elimination From Playoffs

The Los Angeles Clippers lost to the Dallas Mavericks 114-101 in Game 6 on Friday night, ending their season short of the lofty goals set before them.

With his team out of the playoffs, and the Los Angeles Lakers sporting one of the most sought-after coaching openings in the NBA, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue was forced to address his future in the wake of Friday's loss. Lue has been reported as one of the Lakers' top targets, while a separate report indicated that the Clippers are very interested in retaining him.

As for Lue, he'd prefer to stick around with the Clippers.

"I didn't come here to bounce around and go all over the place," Lue said in the wake of his team's 114-101 loss. "Mr. Ballmer, Lawrence [Frank], Mark [Hughes] and Trent [Redden] have all been great to me. This is where I want to be. Hopefully they feel the same way."

Time will tell whether or not Lue will ultimately remain with the Clippers, who enter the offseason with plenty of roster questions ahead of next season. What happens with James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and ultimately Lue, will determine whether or not the Clippers remain competitive next season.

Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, NBA Playoffs
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Mavericks Bench Had Funniest Reactions to Kyrie Irving's Four-Point Play
4 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Mavericks Bench Had Funniest Reactions to Kyrie Irving’s Four-Point Play

Dallas Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving poured in 28 of his team-high 30 points in the second half to lead his team to a 114—101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night at the American Airlines Center. But four of those points were more memorable than any of the others scored by Irving in the victory, which advanced the Mavericks to the Western Conference semifinals.

One fourth quarter sequence perfectly encapsulated Irving's offensive arsenal, as he put Clippers defender P.J. Tucker in a blender with a series of crossover dribbles and a sidestep, leading to a three-pointer, which Irving drilled, and a foul, which resulted in a made free throw from the Mavericks star.

The four-point play, which occurred with 5:38 remaining in the game and the Mavericks up by 20 points, left fans' and announcers' jaws on the floor. But the best reactions came from the Dallas bench.

The entire bench was electrified by the four-point play. But Mavericks center Daniel Gafford's reaction was priceless—and pretty much sums up what it looks like to watch Irving dribble a ball.

Irving averaged 26.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 44.9 percent from three-point range in six games in the first round.

Dallas Mavericks, Kyrie Irving, Los Angeles Clippers, NBA Playoffs
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Clippers 'Determined' to Sign Ty Lue to Contract Extension Amid Lakers Rumors, per Report
3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Clippers ‘Determined’ to Sign Ty Lue to Contract Extension Amid Lakers Rumors, per Report

Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue likely won't be going anywhere this offseason.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday that the Clippers are focused on offering Lue a long-term contract extension this summer. That report arrived one day after Lue was named a potential candidate to replace the fired Darvin Ham as the Los Angeles Lakers' next head coach.

"The Clippers are determined to do a long-term deal with Ty Lue, I'm told," Wojnarowski said on NBA Today Friday. "They want him to be their coach for a very long time. ... They love the job that he's done there."

The Clippers will work toward a new deal with Lue this summer after their playoff run is over, per Wojnarowski. Los Angeles is facing elimination from playoff contention Friday, as they trail the Dallas Mavericks 3–2 in their first-round series entering Game 6 at American Airlines Center.

Lue, who won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, has registered a 184–134 record over four seasons as the Clippers' head coach. The Clippers have advanced past the first round of the playoffs just once under his watch, losing to the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 Western Conference finals.

If he and the Clippers parted ways, Lue was reported to be a candidate to serve as the Lakers' next coach along with former NBA player JJ Redick and coaching veterans Mike Budenholzer and Kenny Atkinson.

It appears Lue will be opening the 2024–25 NBA season at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood instead of donning purple and gold at Crypto.com Arena.

Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Tyronn Lue
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Shaq Rips Paul George Over Comments About Failing After Clippers' Ugly Loss
3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Shaq Rips Paul George Over Comments About Failing After Clippers’ Ugly Loss

The Los Angeles Clippers had a prime opportunity to seize control of their series against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5. Instead, Paul George and Co. got blown at home, losing 123-93, and are now facing elimination in Friday night's Game 6 in Dallas.

George had a bad night for the Clippers, scoring just 15 points on 4-of-13 shooting. The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard and needed their other star to come out and set the tone for the team in a huge game, but that didn't come close to happening.

George spoke after the game, saying, "You work your tail off all summer. You train for these moments. To where, if you fail, you fail. Live with the results."

Shaquille O'Neal was not a fan of those comments and explained why during Thursday night's Inside the NBA:

Leonard will be out again for Game 6, so the Clippers will need George to put Game 5 behind him in a hurry or the franchise will have another early exit from the NBA playoffs.

Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, NBA Playoffs, Paul George
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Paul Pierce Blasts Clippers With Blunt Five-Word Message After Ugly Loss to Mavs
2 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Paul Pierce Blasts Clippers With Blunt Five-Word Message After Ugly Loss to Mavs

The Clippers had a chance to take control of their series with the Mavericks in Wednesday night's Game 5 in Los Angeles, but instead they stunk up the joint in the second half and got blown out, 123-93, to fall behind 3-2 as the series shifts to Dallas for Friday night's Game 6.

The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard in Game 5, as he continues to deal with an injury to his right knee. Los Angeles had won the other two games in the series that Leonard had missed, which makes Wednesday night's performance even harder for fans to understand.

Paul Pierce didn't hold back on the Clippers on FS1's Unidisputed, calling them a moody team.

The Clippers, who won Game 4 in Dallas without Leonard, will need to turn things completely around in Game 6 or their season could come to an abrupt end.

Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, NBA Playoffs
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Clippers Used Savage Arena Advertisement to Troll Mavericks Ahead of Game 5
1 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Clippers Used Savage Arena Advertisement to Troll Mavericks Ahead of Game 5

The Los Angeles Clippers are set to host the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night for Game 5 of their opening round playoff series, which is currently tied up 2–2.

Ahead of the clash, the Clippers took the opportunity to comically troll their opponent.

When Mavs players arrive at the arena for Wednesday night's game, they'll be greeted by a cleverly placed advertisement. Plastered on the side of the arena is a massive Skyscanner advertisement, hilariously depicting a flight offering direct from Dallas to Cancún.

"For great flights to Cancún, visit Skyscanner," reads the ad.

Of course, among NBA circles, there is not a more notorious postseason vacation destination than Cancún, and Los Angeles boldly hinted to the Mavs that it may be time to start doing some research on tickets and hotels in the area.

Regardless of how Game 5 plays out, the series won't be ending on Wednesday, as both teams need two more wins to clinch their place in the Western Conference semifinals. That gives Dallas and the American Airlines Center the perfect opportunity to clap back with some good-natured trolling of their own ahead of Game 6 on Friday night.

Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, NBA
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