After a whirlwind weekend, the shorthanded Lakers gave it a go in Dallas but a huge start from the Mavs paved the way for them to pick up a 134-128 win.
Behind Cooper Flagg, who finished with 45 points, the Mavericks raced out to a lead as large as 22 points at 58-36 in the first 15 minutes of the game. While the Lakers got back into the game and got with a possession multiple times, they could never get over the hump.
With both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves out for the foreseeable future, the Lakers
had a lot of figuring out to do and struggled at times throughout the day. Points off turnovers also crushed the Lakers as Dallas turned 12 LA turnovers into 21 points.
It was a very slow start offensively for the Lakers with possessions alternating between awkward misses and turnovers. The lone points through the opening nearly four minutes was a Rui Hachimura corner 3-pointer as LA trailed 10-3.
Back-to-back LeBron drives and finishes ignited the Lakers’ offense a bit, but Dallas immediately scored on each successive possession, forcing an early timeout from head coach JJ Redick with LA down 14-7.
LeBron and Rui were all the Lakers had offensively, carrying the Lakers back into the game at 22-21. Dallas responded with a Cooper Flagg-led run as he scored 19 first-quarter points. A Klay Thompson three at the first quarter buzzer gave Dallas a 41-30 lead heading into the second period.
Empty possessions from the Lakers to open the period allowed the Mavericks to continue punishing the Lakers, extending their lead to 48-30 before Redick called another timeout.
Flagg’s stepback 3-pointer out of the break extended Dallas’ run to 13-0 as the deficit reached 21 points. Even when LA scored, which they did on a pair of Hayes free throws, a LeBron turnaround and a Hayes layup, they were not getting any stops defensively to allow them to cut into the deficit.
Eventually, LA got a couple of those stops, leading to consecutive dunks from LeBron to cut the deficit to 14 and force the Mavs into a timeout. LeBron continued doing all he could, knocking down a three, extending a stretch in which he scored or assisted on the Lakers’ last 17 points.
That run only ended because he checked out of the game, but Rui picked up the scoring burden with a baseline jumper. Redick was playing an extended rotation with Nick Smith Jr. coming in late in the second as the 11th player to see time for LA. The only active players who did not play in the first half were Adou Thiero and Dalton Knecht.
Late in the half, Luke Kennard knocked down a corner 3-pointer before LeBron converted on an and-one in transition, trimming the lead all the way down to six points heading into the half.
A run featuring baskets from Kennard, Deandre Ayton, LaRavia and LeBron to open the third made it a two-point game. Flagg was not slowing down on the other end as he reached 30 points for the 10th time this season, keeping Dallas up by five.
PJ Washington, Naji Marshall and Daniel Gafford combined for Dallas’ next run to force another Lakers timeout.
Kennard secured his first career triple-double with a lob to Ayton, but it was the only basket amidst a Mavs’ run that extended the lead to double digits again. A LaRavia step-back 3-pointer to beat the shot clock buzzer cut it to six again, but Flagg had an and-one on the other end in response.
A lack of stops defensively made it a struggle for the Lakers once more, one that was exasperated by LeBron heading to the bench late in the period as the lead reached 11 again. LA survived as long as it could before bringing LeBron back, but LA could never mount a run as Dallas led 107-97 going into the fourth.
Hayes tipped in a basket to open the fourth, but back-to-back baskets from Dallas had the lead at 13 points. LA got to the line on consecutive trips to make it a seven-point game again and a no-look fastbreak dish from LeBron to LaRavia forced a Mavs timeout at 112-107.
Turnovers continued to be a killer for the Lakers as Dallas had turned them in 21 points, the last two coming off an errant Hayes pass that led to a Washington layup and a Lakers timeout with LA down nine points again.
A back-breaking sequence saw the Mavs get multiple second-chances before a Washington layup put them up 10. A pair of freebies from LaRavia and an and-one dunk from Hayes pulled LA back within five with just over four minutes remaining.
LA’s run was short-lived as Washington hit a corner 3-pointer and Flagg returned to the game for a turnaround jumper over Kennard to give him 41 points and put Dallas up 10 with 3:26 left, effectively icing the game. The Lakers’ offense struggled to find consistent baskets and fouls at the end of the game just delayed the inevitable as the Mavs picked up the win.
Key Player Stats
LeBron did all he could on the night, finishing with 30 points on 12-22 shooting with nine rebounds and 12 assists. Kennard notched his first career triple-double with 15 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.
Rui’s hot start saw him finish with 21 points. Hayes had 23 points off the bench and Deandre Ayton tallied 13 points. LaRavia finished with 14 points.
The Lakers will host the Thunder on Tuesday with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. PT.
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