Mavs, Clippers battle before playoffs

Dallas will be the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will have the homecourt advantage in the best-of-seven first round series. The Mavericks will face No. 5 Memphis in the opening round.

The Clippers, who have lost two straight games, are the sixth seed and will face No. 3 Denver in round one. However, the Clippers will have homecourt advantage because they have a better record than the Nuggets.

The Mavericks attempt to close out the regular season with two straight wins. On Sunday, All-Star Dirk Nowitzki finished with 22 points and seven rebounds to lead Dallas to a 111-95 victory over the Utah Jazz at American Airlines Center.

Jason Terry added 16 points and six assists and Josh Howard scored 18 in the win over Utah for the Mavericks. Jerry Stackhouse ended with 20 points and Erick Dampier contributed 13 points and 12 boards for Dallas, which halted a two-game slide.

Dallas is an impressive 34-6 as the host this season. It has won four in a row at home.

The Clippers, who will be appearing in the postseason for the first time since 1997, play the finale of their season-ending two-game road trip. On Tuesday, Jake Tsakalidis scored 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds, as Memphis clinched the fifth spot in the Western Conference playoffs with a 101-95 win over the Clippers at FedExForum.

James Singleton led all-scorers with 23 points in the loss to Memphis for the Clippers, while All-Star Elton Brand tallied 17 points and grabbed eight boards. Walter McCarty scored 12 off the bench in defeat.

Los Angeles is 19-21 as the visitor this season.

The Mavericks have won all three meetings between the squads this season. The last time Dallas swept a season-series from the Clippers was during the 2002-03 campaign.

Dallas has lost three of its last five at the Clippers.