The Dallas Mavericks were defeated 127-110 by the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. The game was a shambles in the first half, but it was close. The Lakers opened open the game in the third quarter, leading by as many as 20 points at one point. They finished the quarter with 42 points. With over four minutes left in the blowout, the benches were cleared in the fourth quarter, which continued much of the same.
With 33 points, Luka Doncic led all scorers. In addition, he added 10 assists, 13 rebounds, and a triple-double. In addition to scoring 16, Dereck Lively II pulled down 11 rebounds. There were other Mavericks players present as well. With 29 points, D’Angelo Russell led the Lakers. LeBron James contributed 25 points, and Anthony Davis scored 28. Together, the two provided 17 assists.
The following three statistics describe the game:
16: The margin of victory in paint score between the Lakers and Mavericks
If you’ve heard this before, stop me; the Mavericks lost badly in the paint. They don’t put up much of a fight in the lane most nights, and this one was no different. Dallas hardly guarded the paint, even with big man Lively on the court. They lost 62–46 in the scoring. The Mavericks were frequently twisted and thrown into the blender, which gave the Lakers easy back door baskets. There were occasions when a fancy cross over or play weren’t necessary. The Lakers would effortlessly maneuver past the defense of Dallas and discover an open rim. The Mavericks’ brain trust has figured out the paint defense.
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The Mavericks’ 3-point percentage is 27.5.
At the end of the game, the Mavericks shot 27.5 percent from beyond the arc. They were at 19% at one point in the third quarter. For everyone, that shooting night was just terrible. Doncic made two of nine. Tim Hardaway Jr. failed to score on any of his seven attempts. Irving only made one of five. Jaden Hardy has a 0–5 record. The list is endless. Derrick Jones Jr. was the only player to shoot well, making both of his 3-point attempts. In addition, they repeatedly settled instead of driving to the basket to make up for their subpar shooting.
25: The Lakers’ lead in points scored on fast breaks
The Lakers outscored the Mavericks 32–7 in fast breaks, running them off the court. Dallas appeared drowsy and uninterested for the majority of the evening. One strategy to lose to the Lakers is to give them easy baskets off turnovers or just lose sight of players during breaks because they have trouble scoring points. The Mavericks frequently and both tonight.
