Getty Marcus Morris of the Clippers (left) and Luka Doncic, Mavericks.
Few NBA teams have gotten to know each other quite so well in recent years as the Clippers and Mavericks. They’ve faced off in two tense, competitive first-round matchups, first in the NBA’s bubble in 2020, then again last season in 2021, when the Clippers rallied to win after dropping their first two games in Los Angeles.
In fact, all of the playoff experience Mavs star Luka Doncic has had in his NBA career has come against the Clippers, 13 games in total—eight Clippers wins and five Mavs wins. Doncic has been outstanding in those series, notching 33.5 points with 9.5 assists and 8.8 rebounds, on 49.4% shooting, and 39.2% from the 3-point line.
But according to Clippers forward Marcus Morris, there is a reason for Doncic’s big numbers, and it is not all about his talent. It’s the refs, and from Morris’ point of view, that carries into the regular season.
Marcus Morris: “The refs are on my ass. I can’t even talk to Luka, I can’t even breathe on him.”
Then adds on the rivalry:
“We beat them all the time so until they get a win, it’s really on our side. But kudos to their team. I like their team. They’re playing well.”
“I know the refs are on my a**,” Morris told reporters. “I can’t even talk to Luka, I can’t even breathe on him. So you know that kind of like makes it a little bit, in our words, corny. But it’s still a competition.”
Morris: ‘We Beat Them All the Time’
Doncic (as well as Morris) returned this week from injury, Doncic having sat out three games with an ankle problem. Morris had been out because of a knee issue, which had forced him out on October 23, after the Clippers’ second game this season.
Doncic was 9-for-21 in that game, and made only four trips to the free-throw line. Morris was responsible for two of those, with a foul on Doncic in the first quarter. Doncic and Morris, of course, have a history, including a hard foul in the 2020 playoffs which had Doncic seeking to go after Morris, only to be held back by teammates.
After the game, Morris commented on the budding Clippers-Mavericks rivalry, and managed to throw in a backhanded compliment to Dallas in the process.
He said:
It’s a good question. When you beat someone enough, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Now they want to play against you a lot, so it is what it is. We beat them all the time. So, until they get a win it’s really on our side. They gotta do what they’re supposed to do and kudos to their team and I like their team. They’re playing well, they’re sticking together, they had the same players for a few years and it’s always fun having them battles. I think over the years it’s kind of dumbed down a little bit.
Doncic Frequents the Free-Throw Line vs. Mavericks
Morris is taking some liberties with how he tallies the wins and losses in the series. Obviously, the most important thing in the Mavs-Clippers rivalry is winning in the playoffs, and the Clippers have done that twice.
In the regular season, since the arrival of Doncic, the Mavs and Clippers have played 11 games, with the Clippers holding only a slight edge, at 6-5 over four seasons. Including the playoffs, the Clippers have nosed out the Mavericks by a margin of 14-10 over four years.
Doncic has played well in those games, averaging 28.1 points per game. And even with only four free throws awarded for Doncic in the game this week, Morris has a point about the tendency of refs to send him to the line—Doncic has averaged 9.3 free throws per outing against the Clippers, his second-most against any team in the West.
An advantage, for sure. But not quite, “We beat them all the time.”