Reggie Jackson replaces Patrick Beverley in Clippers’ starting lineup

Both coaches held their cards close to their chest before tip-off Friday night in Dallas.

In Tyronn Lue’s case, that meant continuing to hint, as he had Thursday when he acknowledged  “yeah, something needs to be done,” at a starting lineup change before Game 3 of their best-of-seven, first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. But he stopped there Friday afternoon, declining to offer further details before it was necessary on who might be in and out for his Clippers: “I can’t at this time. I’m sorry.”

For the Mavericks’ Rick Carlisle, it meant pleading ignorance about whether one of his key role players was definitively in or not: “I just walked in. There’s traffic outside.”

Of course, within the hour, their secrets were out: Yes, Maxi Kleber, Dallas’ defensive-minded German forward, was definitely in, ready for another go defending Kawhi Leonard despite the right Achilles soreness that continues to pester him.

And the Clippers’ new-look starting five would consist of Leonard, Paul George, Ivica Zubac, Marcus Morris and … Reggie Jackson, in place of Patrick Beverley.

So, not such a new look after all, considering that quintet played the second-most minutes together – 215 – of any combination of Clippers this season.

L.A. had an 18.8 net rating in that time, stemming from the fact that those five together averaged 121.4 points per 100 possessions while allowing opponents to score 102.6 points per 100 possessions.

Jackson’s role with the team fluctuated this season; early on he lost his spot in the Clippers’ rotation entirely – only to be thrust into a starting role that he occupied most of the season while Beverley missed time with injuries, including 12 consecutive games with right knee soreness and then 12 more with a broken left hand.

He finished the season averaging 10.7 points and shooting a career-best 43.3% from 3-point range. In the Clippers’ first two losses this series, Jackson was plus-16 in 51 minutes off the bench, despite shooting 6 for 18 (33.3%) from the field and 3 for 11 (27.3%) from behind the arc.

Beverley, meanwhile, shot 5 for 10 from the floor (3 for 7 from 3-point range), but the 6-foot-1 guard struggled defensively when he found himself matched up with Mavs star Luka Doncic, a 6-foot-7 point forward. In addition to picking up six fouls in 41 minutes, Beverley was an uncharacteristic minus-24 in the games the Clippers lost by a combined total of 16 points.

In another altogether not unfamiliar personnel development, the Clippers went into Friday’s pivotal game without Serge Ibaka, the veteran center who missed 30 consecutive games late in the season with a pinched nerve in his back. He returned for the final two regular-season games and played just 18 minutes – scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds – in the Clippers’ series-opening losses in L.A.

Lue did allow pregame that the team’s other veteran center, DeMarcus Cousins, was prepared to see some court time in Ibaka’s place, potentially his first playoff action since June 2019, when his injury-depleted Golden State Warriors lost to Leonard’s Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals.

A late-season addition to the Clippers’ roster, Cousins appeared in 16 regular-season games after joining the team on the first of two 10-day contracts on April 5, and he averaged 7.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 12.5 minutes per game.

“He’s itching, itching to play,” Lue said. “Just got to see how the flow of the game goes. We know he’s contributed at the end of the season and how he was great for us. Every time he got into a big-game situation, he’s played well. We’ll see what happens tonight.”

KAWHI’S HOMECOURT

Leonard, who grew up in Moreno Valley, has plans to help introduce a unique new basketball court in his hometown.

The city’s Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez and the Leonard family are working with NRG/New Balance and NBA2K Foundation to sponsor a full-sized court at Weston Park. The court will serve as a place for the public to play, and as a community-centric art piece designed by local artists and hand-painted by local residents, meant to highlight the importance of art and artistic expression.

“I am thrilled to work with Kawhi, and the entire Leonard Team to bring such a great project to our community,” Gutierrez said in a news release. “This amazing basketball court is a gift from a Moreno Valley native who has achieved his dreams and will serve as a symbol to MoVal kids that their dreams too can soar.”