NBA scores 2017: Clippers falter in Dallas while DeMar DeRozan hits 40 again

March Madness took basketball priority away from the NBA for one more Thursday, and the five-game slate gave us mostly boring matchups. Four of the games played were decided by a 67 total points.

The Mavericks and the Clippers did give us one enjoyable, if poorly played, finish. DeMar DeRozan kept getting buckets. And we found out the downside to Phoenix having a starting unit whose combined age is younger than that of some of the teams still in the NCAA tournament, as they got blown out by ... Brooklyn. Whoops.

Here are the night’s winners, losers and final scores.

DeMar DeRozan scored 40-points on Thursday night, his second 40-point game of the week. He went 14-of-25 from the field, scoring 40 without hitting a 3-pointer. It was his sixth 40-point game of the year and the Raptors are now on a four game win streak.

With 2:30 left in the game, Los Angeles went up 95-92 on Dallas thanks to a DeAndre Jordan dunk. Here are their offensive stats for the rest of the game: 0-of-3 from the field, three turnovers, zero points.

Dallas scored five points in the final 2:30 and that’s all they needed to win the game. It looked like J.J. Redick might beat the buzzer to win the game on an inbounds play with fractions of a second left, but his shot was millimeters too long and caromed off the back iron.

It’s late March and the Nets just put together their first set of back-to-back wins of the season, after defeating the Suns 126-98. They’re in last place in the Eastern Conference, 10 games behind the Sixers, so this is a small victory. But it’s the little things that count.

Dallas isn’t and shouldn’t be tanking. They’re almost completely playing young prospects, and this team has been on a 45-win pace for weeks now. But that miserable, injury filled start to the season has them constantly working from behind, and the Mavericks are three games back of the No. 8 seed right now. They’re also two games back from Portland, who has perhaps the easiest schedule in the league to finish this year. (Only three road games.)

Again, Dallas isn’t at fault for winning this game. That should be their mindset. But man, it wouldn’t hurt for them to be competitive, lose a lot of unlucky one-point games, and end up with a higher draft pick. Their roster has young, improving talent, but having their choice at one more prospect to add to the mix would do wonders for their future. Next year, it’s playoffs or bust. But for the most success in their long term future, it wouldn’t have killed them for shots like Redick’s near game-winner to fall.

J.J. is the realest for this.

Raptors 101, Heat 84 (Raptors HQ recap | Hot Hot Hoops recap)

Nets 126, Suns 98 (Nets Daily recap | Bright Side of the Sun recap)

Spurs 97, Grizzlies 90 (Pounding the Rock recap | Grizzly Bear Blues recap)

Mavericks 97, Clippers 95 (Mavs Moneyball recap | Clips Nation recap)

Trail Blazers 110, Knicks 95 (Blazers Edge recap | Posting and Toasting recap)