LOS ANGELES -- Blake Griffin was clearly frustrated with his first-half performance Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks.

"At halftime, I can't tell you how many guys came up and said, 'Keep shooting, keep shooting.' It's great to have that type of encouragement, but at the same time when, you feel like you're 1-for-20 at halftime, it's hard to have that mindset," the Los Angeles Clippers forward said. "So, it was kind of like a test for me to come out and be aggressive and try to see it go through before I kept shooting."

With Jamal Crawford leading the way by scoring 22 points off the bench, and J.J. Redick contributing 20 more, Griffin provided valuable contributions in the second half of the Clippers' 98-91 victory over the Mavericks at Staples Center.

Griffin collected 17 points on 7-of-18 shooting, and he added 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Clippers, who snapped Dallas' six-game winning streak. DeAndre Jordan had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles (52-28), while Jeff Green chipped in 11 points.

"I think at the beginning of the second half, I tried to put a little more aggressiveness in the defense and try to let that get me going," said Griffin, who scored 13 points in the second half while connecting on five of seven shots. He also had nine rebounds and five assists after intermission.

"Being aggressive offensively -- rolling to the rim instead of settling for jumpers -- kind of got me going a little bit, kind of helped me see the ball go through."

Redick said he noticed how much Griffin's play improved after the break.

"I think that as the game progressed, he was more aggressive in short rolls in attacking the basket," said Redick, who hit eight of 10 field-goal attempts and all four of his 3-point tries. "They continuously put two (players) on the ball with Chris (Paul), so (Blake) was in that position, which is a position that he has been in a ton over the last couple of years."

Reserve guard Raymond Felton led the Mavericks (41-39) with 21 points. Deron Williams had 15 points, Dirk Nowitzki scored 14 and Charlie Villanueva finished with 11 points for Dallas, which dropped a 1 1/2 games back of the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference and a game behind the sixth-place Memphis Grizzlies. The defeat prevented the Mavericks, who played without J.J. Barea (sore groin), from clinching a playoff berth.

"It was a tough loss today," Nowitzki said. "We were right there. The third quarter was a killer. We could not get much going offensively."

The Mavericks rallied from a 17-point, third-quarter deficit to pull within 89-84 after a 3-pointer by Villanueva with 3:46 left in the contest.

However, a three-point play by Griffin and trey by Crawford, sandwiched around two Felton free throws, put the Clippers up 95-86 with 2:58 remaining. That practically sealed it for the Clippers, who took three of four regular-season contests from the Mavericks and won their fifth in a row.

The Clippers, though, had a rough outing shooting free throws, making just 15 of 37 (40.5 percent). Jordan hit just six of 23. The Mavericks were 23 of 33 (69.7 percent).

The Mavericks started intentionally fouling Jordan in the third quarter. However, they couldn't take advantage of his misses, falling behind 62-53 after Redick nailed a 3-pointer following a misfire from the free throw line by the Clippers center in the middle of the third.

By the end of the third, a steal by Cole Aldrich and a bucket at the horn boosted the Clippers to a 76-59 advantage.

"Turnovers were a big problem," said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, whose club committed 16 miscues to 11 for the Clippers. "We were struggling to get good looks, and when you are turning it over on top of that, it makes it hard."

NOTES: Dallas rookie G/F Justin Anderson, who averaged 9.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in six previous games after stepping in for injured F Chandler Parsons, all wins by the Mavericks, managed three points and six rebounds in Sunday's loss. ... Clippers F Paul Pierce got the day off to rest. ... The Mavericks visit the Utah Jazz on Monday in a contest that could determine which club is seeded anywhere from fifth through eighth in the Western Conference playoffs. Dallas closes the regular season at home Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs. ... The Clippers host the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday before wrapping up the regular season Wednesday at Phoenix against the Suns.