And a single silver lining after a terrible night in Hollywood
The Mavericks (24–18) suffered a 127–110 defeat against the Los Angeles Lakers (21-21) at the Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, their first trip game after their most recent 5-2 home stand.
With a terrible case of The Bricks for the majority of the game, Dallas crumbled in the third quarter. Though their σffєиѕινє ωσєѕ were evident, the Mavericks managed to maintain a lead until the Lakers took control of the game during a crucial seven-minute period in the third quarter. This effectively ended any chance of the Mavericks winning the three-game season series against Dallas. The Mavericks will have to make do with a 2-1 series victory against the Lakers this season after the setback.
Beginning the game, the Mavs established a rhythm in the lane thanks to a combination of put-back dunks, hard-nosed buckets, and lobs from Dereck Lively II, who scored eight of Dallas’ first ten points.
Derrick Jones Jr.’s first 3-pointer of the game, from the wing, with help from Dončić, gave the Mavericks an early 17-10 lead with 6:52 remaining in the first quarter. However, the Lakers answered with what proved to be the game-defining run in the first frame. A third-quarter ιnjury forced Jones to leave the game; he did not come back.
LeBron James’ fadeaway jumper with 3:37 remaining in the first period gave LA a 25-21 lead as they outscored the Mavs 15-4 over the following three and a half minutes. The Mavs never managed to take the lead away from the Lakers during the remainder of the game after James scored seven points on three of five shots in the first quarter.
The opening quarter did not bode well for Dallas as they only made one of their seven attempts from 3-point range. At no time was Dallas able to mount a credible comeback against the Lakers due to the Mavs’ subpar shooting.
The second quarter was when Dončić really got things rolling. The Lakers found it difficult to stop both the Kyrie-to-Lively and the Luka-to-Lively pick-and-roll, but he struck for 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and was decisive in getting to the basket. This was Dončić’s ninth triple-double of the year, with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in the end.
However, Deangelo Russell’s five straight points to start the third quarter helped the Lakers take a 10-point lead. Dončić then missed a step-back 3-point attempt, which allowed James to dish off a full-court outlet pass to Anthony Davis. With 8:56 remaining in the third quarter and down 69-59, Davis simply scored over a retreating Dončić and prompted the Mavs to call a timeout.
During a protracted period of roster injuries, the Mavs, who are sadly starting to regain their form, were unable to cut into the deficit in the fourth quarter. Davis contributed 12 rebounds, nine assists, and 28 points in the victory.
City of Bricks
This was Dallas’ lowest 3-point shooting performance as a team since December 22, when they made just seven shots in a 126-97 loss to Houston. On the evening, Dallas shot just 11 of 40 (27.5%) from 3-point range. Irving shot just 4-of-16 from the field overall in the defeat, while Dončić and Irving combined went just 3-of-14 from long range.
Coming into the game, Irving was riding high, having returned from ιnjury in January and averaging 31.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists.
Tim Hardaway Jr. was similarly awful Wednesday against the Lakers, shooting just 5-of-17 from the field and 0-of-7 on 3-point attempts.
Daggers from Deangelo
Throughout the entire evening, Deangelo Russell was performing admirably for the Lakers, while the Dallas defense exerted every effort to prevent James and Davis from going all out (for whatever good that did). Russell scored 29 points on 5-of-7 shooting from deep in the victory, finding himself open for a spot-up three-pointer following a clean look from the wing following a transition jumper.
During the pivotal third-quarter Laker run that decided the Mavs’ fate, Russell made three of those.
Turnovers for the third quarter
The Lakers had a prolonged period of control in the third quarter, and the Mavs made five critical errors. It caused the Lakers to commit transition leaks, which further highlighted Dallas’ most obvious defensive weakness: their inability to hold on when the other team breaks free. When anyone wearing a yellow jersey got going on Wednesday with the ball and a half-head of steam, Dallas was rendered absolutely defenseless.
Fortunately, Dereck Lively II
Lively was a bright spot for Dallas in the defeat, doing everything he was asked to do on both ends on Wednesday. After missing two games due to an ankle ailment, the youngster returned and scored 16 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.
Lively played a defensive game that kept him engaged and, even if he didn’t stop Davis from getting to the hoop, he avoided foul trouble, held his ground, and was a reliable lob тняєαт when Dončić and Irving were running the pick-and-roll.