The Los Angeles Clippers (20) protected their home court with a win over the Dallas Mavericks (1 - 1) on Thursday night. Thanks to the Mavericks' pursuit of DeAndre Jordan in the off - season the resulting "tug of war" between the teams over the star center was quite entertaining. Jordan eventually proved his loyalty by staying with the Clippers and he also proved his worth in Thursday night's game with a strong performance. DeAndre Jordan owned the paint with 15 rebounds, four blocked shots, and of course, some nasty dunks. It was Blake Griffin who led the Clippers offensively with 26 points and 10 rebounds, with Austin Rivers chipping in 14 points on 5 - 10 shooting. Rivers’ participation was questionable due to his cushion - throwing antics during Wednesday’s game, which resulted in a fine but no suspension. Meanwhile, Jamal Crawford scored a cool 15 points on 6 - for - 11 from the field in only 17 minutes. Two of the Mavericks big offseason pickups, Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews, did n't play Thursday night. Williams was out with a non - serious knee contusion, while coach Rick Carlisle decided to rest Matthews on the second night of a back - to - back for precautionary reasons. Matthews is still recovering from surgery on his Achillies in the offseason. Dirk Nowitzki did n't seem to be bothered by playing two games in as many days, contributing 16 points on 5 - for - 15 shooting, in 25 minutes. John Jenkins added 17 points for the Mavericks, while J.J. Barea scored 12 points and dished out nine assists. The Mavericks were lacking offense, and in addition to Williams and Matthews, the team missed the presence of Chandler Parsons (knee). Parsons will hopefully be ready to go for Sunday. With a strong start to the season, the Clippers have a day of rest before hosting the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. Dallas waits until Sunday to face the Los Angeles Lakers back at the Staples Center.
["PlayerStat(G,'Dirk Nowitzki') has 2 Assists ,has 25 Blocks ,has 16 Field goals attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'John Jenkins') has 17 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'J.J. Barea') has 9 Assists ,has 12 Blocks ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Blake Griffin') has 26 Assists ,has 10 Blocks ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'DeAndre Jordan') has 4 Assists ,has 15 Blocks ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Austin Rivers') has 14 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Jamal Crawford') has 11 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 17 Field goals attempted ,has 15 Field goals made ."]