Squeaking out a 104-101 victory, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Hardly. Not rightfully. the ugliest manner imaginable. Dallas saw Dereck Lively II fall hard and leave the game with a lower back contusion, so although it’s a win, it’s a painful one.
Running mate Kyrie Irving scored 28 points, going 4-of-8 from three (including a huge, game-saving three-pointer in the fourth quarter), while Luka Doncic finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds. LeBron James scored 26 points, 16 of which came in the fourth quarter, and was an absolute monster for Los Angeles.
Doubtful Quarter
With a 3.1-point advantage over opponents per game, the Lakers lead the league in fourth-quarter point differential, and they increased that figure tonight.
Almost everything went wrong for Dallas after they had a 20-point lead going into the last quarter. The Mavericks were lacking Lively’s presence as the Lakers picked things up. It wasn’t just the defense, though; Dallas’s offense froze for the first time this season. Dallas had only scored two points compared to L.A.’s 19 with 6:14 remaining, almost halfway through the quarter, reducing their lead to five. With 4:10 remaining, Luka’s bank shot was the only made basket by Dallas due to their dismal offense. Up until then, they were 0 for 11.
It should be noted that head coach Jason Kidd did not use any timeouts to regroup until the Mavs were trailing by just two points, 97-95, with just over two minutes remaining in the game. In the middle of the Lakers’ incredible run, he also allowed a dubious out-of-bounds call to pass without objecting. This gave the Lakers another possession. No one looks particularly good after this one, coaches or players alike.
Two stars created two plays.
After giving up a 20-point lead in one quarter and trailing 101-99, Dallas played its worst quarter of basketball in recent memory. Kyrie Irving made the only three-pointer of the quarter on a pass from Luka Doncic to put Dallas ahead 102-101. Luka Doncic intercepted James’ attempt to force a pass down low to Anthony Davis, who was waiting, during the next possession. From that point on, Dallas prevailed despite free throws and a thrilling miss by James at the buzzer.
Stars are meant to do just that. You flip the switch and make the clutch play when all else has failed, when nobody else can make a play, even when you haven’t been able to get anything going.
That defensive dream is gone.
It truly felt and looked like two very different games. the first three, followed by whatever transpired in the fourth. Lively’s departure undoubtedly caused pain, but it doesn’t account for how awful Dallas’ offense was.
Everything was going so well at first. The Mavs had given up just 46 points at the half, the fewest of the entire season. Although they were playing a worn-out team without two rotation players and depending on a 38-year-old, the defense did appear capable. But sometimes you have to do that to find your groove again! Observing your work yields beneficial outcomes. The players and coaches have consistently stated that the defense needs to get better. And it did, sort of, for a half. Who knows how that will hold up following the disastrous end scene? in particular without Lively.
Dallas outrebounded the Lakers in the first half, outscored them on second chances, and pushed the pace, scoring 15 fastbreak points to L.A.’s six. Dallas was down 20 points going into the last quarter and perhaps believed they could coast to the finish against a team playing the second game of a back-to-back, but LeBron was determined to make Dallas earn their turkey tomorrow. They did, but perhaps this is just one of those games we try to put in the past and never play again.