On a night where the Dallas Mavericks were without their best player in Anthony Davis, herculean efforts from the rest of the team were needed for them to pose a challenge against a Los Angeles Clippers team that’s still in the hunt for an outright playoff spot. However, the Mavericks’ woes were compounded by the fact that Klay Thompson had to exit the contest for good due to an illness, as reported by ClutchPoints Mavericks beat reporter Joey Mistretta.

Thompson played in only 13 minutes before exiting, and with the Clippers up by over 20 points, perhaps the Mavericks didn’t see much reason to force the veteran shooting guard to suit up especially when he’s feeling under the weather. He scored just two points in his 13 minutes of play.

The Mavericks are unable to finish above ninth place in the West standings, as the best they can finish the season with is 42 wins following their blowout loss to the Clippers. To seal their spot in the play-in tournament, they will have to win three more games or have the Phoenix Suns lose three more (the Suns hold the tie-breaker over the Mavs).

There is a sense of urgency for the Mavericks to handle their business, but it looks like they are betting on the Suns being unable to weather very tough next three games. Phoenix will be facing the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and Oklahoma City Thunder in succession, and there is a chance that the Suns’ current losing streak of five extends to eight — securing the Mavs’ place in the play-in tournament.

For the Mavericks, there is no rest for the weary; they are going to be facing the Clippers yet again tomorrow night on the second of a back-to-back, and for now, it’s unclear if Thompson will be suiting up for that contest.

Mavericks look to salvage what’s left of the 2024-25 season