Zubac's perfect shooting night, Leonard and Harden lead Clippers to 135-104 blowout of Mavericks

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Ivica Zubac was 11 for 11 from the floor for 25 points, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden scored 29 each and the Los Angeles Clippers blew out the Dallas Mavericks 135-104 on Saturday night.

Zubac also had 10 rebounds and is the first player in NBA history to have 25 points and 10 rebounds without any turnovers or misses. His perfect shooting night is a franchise record for most makes without a miss in a single game.

The Clippers have won four in a row and six of their last seven games.

Anthony Davis had 27 points and Kai Jones added 18 on 9-for-9 shooting to lead the Mavericks.

Davis grabbed his left knee in the first half and his stomach multiple times in the second though he continued to play. Davis missed time with an abdominal injury after being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Mavericks: The way Dallas is playing, it may not get a chance to defend last season’s Western Conference crown. They’ve lost three of four and were blown out twice in two days by the Clippers.

Clippers: Los Angeles knows it cannot afford any more losses if it wants a top six seed. And the Clippers are playing like everything’s at stake.

Klay Thompson's 3-pointer with 7:36 to play in the third quarter pulled the Mavs to within 75-65, but the Clippers went on a 17-6 run to make it 92-71 on Zubac's dunk with 3:05 left in the quarter. They extended the lead to 105-82 after three and weren't challenged again.

Leonard, Harden and Zubac were a combined 33 of 49 from the field through the first three quarters, scoring nearly as many points (81) as the Mavericks (82).

Zubac surpassed Bob McAdoo for sole possession of fifth place on the Clippers’ career rebounds list.

The Mavericks return home to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. The Clippers play host to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, watches along with Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis as his shot goes in during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson, right, drives past Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis, left, watches as Los Angeles Clippers guard Ben Simmons dribbles during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac, left, and Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis wait for a rebound during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, below, shoots as Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, center, shoots as Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis, left, and forward Naji Marshall defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Brad Marchand is a professional hockey player and professional chirper. He's excellent at hockey. He might be even better at chirping.

A chirp, loosely defined in hockey terms, is an insult. A wisecrack. The ones toward opponents, you might (and probably do) mean those. The ones toward teammates, not so much.

Which brings us to the Florida Panthers' locker room on Thursday night, after Marchand scored his first goal for his new team — the first time he scored in the NHL for anyone other than the Boston Bruins.

Teammate Evan Rodrigues was asked what he thought of the goal.

“He's a rat," Rodrigues said. "Yeah, I wasn't too happy.”

Marchand, sitting nearby, smiled broadly when he heard. Obviously, Marchand wasn’t going to let Rodrigues’ chirp go unanswered.

“He’s not wrong,” Marchand said. “I’ve hated him. We skated together in the summer and I’ve hated him for a long time, so that’s not going to change now.”

Let's be perfectly clear here: Neither Rodrigues nor Marchand was being serious. (We don't think so, anyway.) But the fact that Rodrigues even tried to pull off a chirp while talking to about a dozen reporters helps to illustrate one of the things that Marchand brings to the Stanley Cup champions.

He has swagger; if the Panthers wondered about that, he joined the team group chat with — what else? — a chirp as his introduction. He's cocky. He's a talker. Those are all good things come playoff time, with the Panthers set to start defense of the Cup in the next couple of weeks.

“That’s a part of the package and an important part of it," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "Everybody’s going to be wired here in 10 days, whatever it is, two weeks. Especially right now, grinding through some of these, he brings lots of energy, right? He’s got lots to say and it makes it fun.”

Marchand's goal capped a three-goal second period for Florida, one that gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead on the way to a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Marchand was playing in his eighth game for Florida, after the team pulled off a stunning move at the trade deadline and acquired him from the Bruins — who have been a postseason rival of the Panthers in recent years. Many in the crowd Thursday gave a standing ovation when the goal was announced as Marchand's “22nd of the season and first as a Florida Panther.”

Marchand had two assists in his first seven games with Florida, including one in his debut with the Panthers on March 28 that set up an overtime winner by Sam Bennett. Marchand's first goal came on his 15th shot with Florida.

“I’m just enjoying this whole journey," Marchand said. “It’s such a unique experience for myself and I’ve been part of really good teams that have accomplished big things and some that haven’t. Regardless, what you realize is that these opportunities are very few and far between and you've got to enjoy every day in this league. And I’m having a lot of fun right now.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) talk at the end of an NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Toronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander (88) skates with the puck as Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand, left, defends during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitch Marner (16) defends a shot on the goal by Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)