The Los Angeles Clippers will head to Dallas on Tuesday to take on the Mavericks at American Airlines Center.

The Clippers (25-21) come into Tuesday's contest having finally put an end to their five-game losing streak with an impressive road win over the Spurs. A big part of that success seems to have come as a result of switching up the starting lineup, as head coach Doc Rivers moved Montrezl Harrell into the starting five and put Marcin Gortat on the bench. The switch made for a more explosive first unit with much better spacing thanks to Harrell's aggressiveness around the rim, and the Clippers jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first quarter as a result. While Harrell's energy was well-utilized off the bench, it's clear that he gives a much-needed punch to the starting five, and Rivers is expected to keep it that way moving forward. The hope is that Harrell's presence will allow Los Angeles to continue its bounce-back from a stretch where the team lost seven of its last 11 games.

As for the Mavericks (20-26), they are going through a really rough slide, as after Monday's road loss to the Bucks, the team has lost four in a row and seven of its last nine. After creeping into the playoff picture, Dallas now sits six games under .500, and its schedule isn't getting any easier. Fortunately for the Mavericks, they'll be returning home for the next three games starting Tuesday, where they have performed much better this season with a 16-6 record on home turf. They will expect to be getting point guard Dennis Smith back Tuesday after a five-game absence due to an "illness." Smith's absence is believed to be a result of the team's desire to trade him, but head coach Rick Carlisle has said the plan is to now keep Smith on the roster.