Two days after their preseason-opening win over the Jazz, the Mavericks returned to American Airlines Center for their second exhibition this season.
The stakes Friday night against the Clippers weren’t as high as they were during the first round of the playoffs last June.
But the Mavericks’ performance again revealed some more insight on Jason Kidd’s lineups and plans as the regular season approaches.
Here are three things we learned in the Mavericks’ 122-114 win over Los Angeles:
The starting five debuted at a fast pace
Before the game, Kidd confirmed the Mavericks’ lineup with a mix of obviousness and logic.
“The starters are starting.”
Dorian Finney-Smith and Dwight Powell had rested against the Jazz, so the Mavericks had to wait until Friday to test their starting five in live action for the first time.
The group didn’t disappoint.
The five — Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr., Finney-Smith, Kristaps Porzingis and Powell — outscored the Clippers 14-9 in the first five minutes. They started the second quarter together, too, and turned a 31-30 deficit into a 46-45 lead in just over six minutes.
There were individual highlights, as well.
Doncic almost logged a triple-double in 18 minutes, tallying 14 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Porzingis, who appeared mobile and explosive on defense with three blocks and two steals in 19 minutes, added 14 points, including seven off three assists from Doncic.
Powell played into the second half and notched 14 points, including a 3-pointer, while shooting 5 of 6 from the field.
Though all have played for the Mavericks since at least 2019, they appeared in just three games together last season for a total of 40 minutes.
But in that limited run, they logged an offensive rating of…