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Every win feels significant at this point of the season, and the Los Angeles Clippers bolstered their playoff chances with a 121-112 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday at Staples Center.

Dallas has lost five straight and is an abysmal 6-24 on the road this season.

Montrezl Harrell spearheaded the effort for the Clippers with 32 points, five assists, five rebounds and two blocks off the bench. He wasn't the only reserve to impress, as Lou Williams added 21 points, 10 dimes and three steals.

Luka Doncic led the way for the Mavericks with a triple-double of 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists but also had nine turnovers while trying to force the issue at times. Dwight Powell added 24 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort.

Montrezl Harrell Emerging as Essential Piece of Clippers' Playoff Push



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It looked as if the Clippers would take a step back in the playoff race when they traded Tobias Harris to the Philadelphia 76ers. After all, he was the team's leading scorer and a double-double threat in the frontcourt every time he stepped on the floor.

The only way Los Angeles was going to hold off the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves was with someone else filling the void, and Harrell has answered the bell and then some.

He has scored 18 or more points in six of seven games since the Harris trade, adding a double-double against the Timberwolves and scoring 30 or more points in two of his last three contests. The Louisville product is flying to the rim for dunks, protecting the lane on defense with multiple blocks in back-to-back games and anchoring the bench unit as an immediate source of energy.

Many opponents don't have an answer on their second team to deal with Harrell's physicality, athleticism and bounce at the rim, and the result has been a consistent boost whenever he is in the game.

The Clippers have a net rating of plus-2.4 when he's on the floor and minus-1.7 when he's off it, per NBA.com. For context, their net rating was just a plus-0.4 when Harris was on the floor before he was traded to the Eastern Conference.

Much of the focus around the Clippers has been on holding off LeBron James and the Lakers, as well as a dangerous Kings squad. However, Harrell and Co. have a chance at more than just the No. 8 seed and are a game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the No. 7 spot and a half-game behind the Utah Jazz for the No. 6 seed.

Avoiding the No. 8 seed means avoiding a likely showdown with the Golden State Warriors in the first round.

A matchup with the two-time defending champions who added DeMarcus Cousins this past offseason is the closest thing to an automatic loss as there is in the NBA, so Harrell's emergence has come at the perfect time. The Clippers not only have to hold off the challengers for the No. 8 seed, but they also need to finish at least ahead of one of the playoff teams to avoid an immediate exit.

Los Angeles will also need Harrell to continue this emergence if it is going to make a run in the postseason, seeing how the Western Conference is loaded with big men such as Cousins, Nikola Jokic, Steven Adams, Jusuf Nurkic, Clint Capela, Rudy Gobert and LaMarcus Aldridge.

Someone is going to have to counter those presences for the Clippers, and Harrell is the best answer as a force off the bench.





What's Next?

Both teams play Wednesday with the Mavericks hosting the Indiana Pacers and the Clippers at the Utah Jazz.