Dallas Mavericks Team Report - December 11

(Basketball News) - The Dallas Mavericks welcomed Dirk Nowitzki back to the lineup on Wednesday, but it did not matter, as they suffered a heartbreaking 100-99 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers trailed by as many as 22 points in the game, but found themselves down by one with possession with 11 seconds left on the clock. Elton Brand missed a fadeaway jumper and Corey Maggette couldn’t deposit the putback.

The ball fell toward Michael Finley, who swatted it out of the paint to try to kill the rest of the clock, but the ball wound up making its way right out to Glen Rice. Fresh off the injured list, the veteran marksman calmly drained the basket with no time left on the clock.

Finley scored a season-high 38 points and Antoine Walker collected 21 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Nowitzki, who missed the last five games with a sprained right ankle, returned to the lineup and posted nine points in 27 minutes for the Mavericks, who fell for the second time in three games.

Dallas returns to action on Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers.