The Lakers led by as many as 14 and trailed by as many as 15 before coming from behind down the stretch to beat the Mavs, 116-110.
The Lakers used a strong first half to hold a comfortable lead for much of the second half. All of that disappeared in the third quarter as LA was thoroughly outplayed, losing the period 35-14. Dallas scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to make it a prolonged 41-14 run.
After eventually settling the ship, the Lakers mounted a comeback led by Marcus Smart,
LeBron James and Rui Hachimura. A pair of huge 3-pointers from Rui gave the Lakers a lead in the fourth that they would not relinquish as they closed out the win.
The game began with LeBron James and Cooper Flagg exchanging baskets. Former Laker Max Christie knocked down two 3-pointers. Deandre Ayton was off to a good start for LA, scoring four points. Quite a few fouls were called, resulting in eight free throws between the teams.
At the five-minute mark, the game was tied.
Luka Dončić was the first player in double figures with 10. He also drained two out of his three attempts from behind the arc. Rui Hachimura scored a quick five points off the bench. Jarred Vanderbilt once again provided excellent energy and hustle. He also scored five points, three of which came from a corner triple.
At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by nine.
The second period started with a 3-pointer by Marcus Smart. Caleb Martin responded on the other end with a triple of his own. Los Angeles was putting in a good effort defensively, holding the Mavericks to 40% shooting, allowing the Lakers to extend their lead to double digits.
At the 5:16 mark, LA was up by 14.
Los Angeles was having a pretty good half from behind the arc, shooting 50% compared to Dallas’ 41%. Christie continued to light up his former team, pushing his point total to 13. Hachimura was a bright spot offensively off the bench for LA with 10 points.
At halftime, Los Angeles was up by 13.
Naji Marshall opened the third period by scoring in the paint. LeBron responded with a midrange jumper on the other end. The teams exchanged two more baskets until shots stopped falling for the purple and gold, while Dallas scored four in a row.
The scoring run grew to 10-0 for the Mavericks, making it a three-point game. The Lakers were forced to call a timeout to regroup. Out of the break, Marshall scored on a layup.
Dallas jumped ahead by one thanks to a runner in the paint by Flagg.
Luka stopped some of the bleeding with five points for LA, giving them the lead back. Both teams also exchanged triples, keeping the game tied. Brandon Williams was having a great game off the bench for the Mavericks with 17 points.
Los Angeles shot an atrocious 31% from the field in the third. They allowed Dallas to score 35 points to their disastrous 14 points. Going into the fourth period, the Lakers were down by eight.
The final frame began with Drew Timme airballing a 3-pointer, which was a great example of how terrible this game became for LA. Williams then continued his strong performance, converting on a three-point play. Los Angeles called a timeout again after Martin drained a 3-pointer.
Dallas’ lead was now at 14.
Martin pushed his point total to 17 points, draining his third triple of the game. LeBron started taking over offensively, trying to will his team to a comeback, scoring seven points to cut the deficit to single digits.
At the 5:06 mark, LA was down by eight.
LaRavia then knocked down a triple after Smart stole the ball from Flagg. With just over three minutes remaining, the Mavs led by five after a pair of Christie freebies.
A layup by Luka made it a three-point game, once more.
Christie was sent to the line again and converted on both free throws.
Hachimura drained a 3-pointer and drew the foul, completing the four-point play with 2:44 remaining. Hachimura then knocked down another 3-pointer on the next possession, giving the Lakers the lead.
Flagg converted on a free throw after he was fouled to make it a one-point game. Smart then scored two on a putback layup off a missed three by Hachimura, putting LA up three with 1:40 left. LeBron extended the lead to five with a layup.
Luka added the finishing touches on an impressive 27-9 scoring run with four points of his own and while drawing a charge to seal the win.
Key Player Stats
Dončić finished the game with 33 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists. LeBron ended with 17 points after coming alive in the fourth to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. Jake LaRavia pitched in with 13 points.
Smart scored 13 points with seven rebounds and three assists. Hachimura notched 17 points with eight rebounds off the bench. Ayton struggled mightily, scoring nine points on 4-16 shooting. Vanderbilt pitched in with eight points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Chicago Bulls on Monday at 5:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
