NBA: Mavericks secured a playoff berth as Clippers beat the Suns

(Basketball news) Mavericks secured a playoff berth after they beat the Detroit Pistons 131-113. For the Mavericks, Luka Doncic had 26 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds, Jalen Brunson had 24 points as they reached 50 wins this season. For the Pistons, Rookie of the Year candidate Cade Cunningham had 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. With this result the Mavericks moved 20 games above .500 for the first time since 2011, when they went on to win the NBA title. The Dallas Mavericks are going to earn home-court advantage in the playoffs, for the first time since Kidd was playing during championship season. Their current record stands at 50-30 and are currently 4th in the Western Conference standings with two games to go.

''It's a great accomplishment,'' coach Jason Kidd said. ''The guys in that locker room can't take that lightly because it's not easy to do.''

“I think it's pretty impressive,'' Doncic said. ''We started the season kind of slow. I'm proud of how we played and hopefully we get to 52 (wins).''

''That's going to be a top team in the West,'' Casey said. ''I wanted them to feel it and experience it.''

''They do a great job of spreading out and making 3-point shots,'' Casey said. ''You make one mistake and they make you pay. They're a great offensive team, exactly what we want to be in terms of moving the basketball and knocking down 3s,''

The Los Angeles Clippers won against a rested Phoenix Suns 113-109. For the Clippers it was a welcome return for Paul George and Norman Powell after being out of the majority of the season. Norman Powell scored 24 points and Paul George added 19 points as Ivica Zubac had 13 points and 11 rebounds. For the Suns, they were without Devin Booker and Chris Paul and fellow starters Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder as the second unit played, Ish Wainwright scored a career-high 20 points, Aaron Holiday added 16 points and Bismack Biyombo had 14 points and 12 rebounds. The only starter in double figures was Payne with 13 points. With this result, the Clippers have secured the 8th place in the standings with a record of 40-40.

''You can never relax in the NBA,'' Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. ''The players are too good, the coaches are too good, and as soon as you let your guard down things like this can happen.''

''It's a great lesson for our team and any kid watching, you just play it out,'' Suns coach Monty Williams said. ''We just stayed with it and had that Suns grit.''

''When you have games like this, you find out who that guy is that you may be able to throw into a big game,'' Williams said. ''You build that confidence in games like this.''

''Playing with PG still didn't seem real to me,'' Powell said. ''I looked up to him growing up. Early on in my career he gave me some words of encouragement that stuck with me.''

''We just tried to play off one another,'' George said. ''The biggest thing for me was playing off the ball and letting Norm get comfortable. He's a big-time playmaker and scorer off the ball.''

Also read: NBA: The Heats thrash the Hornets while Lakers get eliminated

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