Lakers fall to undermanned Mavs in frustrating defeat

The Lakers finished their Texas two-step with a disappointing loss to the short-handed Dallas Mavericks. on Tuesday.

Adding to the list of embarrassing losses this season, the Lakers fell to a Mavs team without either Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving on Tuesday, 118-97. After heading into this quick two-game road trip having won eight of 11 games, the purple and gold dropped both contests in Texas.

The Lakers big three struggled as a whole on the night with the trio of Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Austin Reaves combining to shoot 18-43 from the field.

Davis ended with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists. LeBron James scored 18 points along with 10 rebounds and eight assists. Austin Reaves struggled most, scoring 15 points on 5-14 shooting.

Max Christie pitched in 12 points on 5-9 shooting. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 11 points off the bench, going 3-4 from behind the arc. Dalton Knecht was the only other player off the bench to score with 13 points.

Dallas was on fire from three all night, finishing 18-38 from range.

The Mavericks took an early 7-3 lead after PJ Washington and former Laker Spencer Dinwiddie scored for Dallas. The Lakers went on a 7-0 scoring run in response that included an incredibly explosive dunk by LeBron that gave the arena a jolt of energy.

At the first timeout, LA was up by one. Rui scored on a layup to put the Lakers up by three. After a few missed shots,

AD joined in on the scoring with a spin into a layup which resulted in an and-1. As the quarter was winding down, LA was still leading.

The Mavericks were missing Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, so they operated on a next-man-up mentality. Quentin Grimes scored eight points off the bench and tied the game with a three. LeBron answered with a 3-pointer to put the Lakers up by three at the end of the first.

The second quarter began with a 3-pointer by Maxi Kleber. Dalton Knecht, who was scoreless last game, scored his first points on a midrange shot. Dallas’ offense started heating up and, after a three by Grimes, they retook the lead.

Los Angeles was cold from the field, only making one out of their first six shot attempts in the quarter. Jaxson Hayes grabbed his third foul, putting him in a familiar place with foul trouble. Coach JJ Redick took a gamble and left him in the game, only for him to pick up his fourth foul almost immediately.

Dallas maintained the lead, but LA was still close behind because the Mavericks weren’t dominating. Max scored nine points in the second quarter for LA, including a 3-pointer and dunk that helped the Lakers extend their lead.

Klay Thompson scored nine straight points, jumpstarting a scoring run. The Mavericks went up by three, but an embarrassing defensive breakdown gave Dinwiddie an easy dunk to put Dallas up by five at halftime on an 11-0 scoring run.

Dallas’ Dereck Lively II scored the first bucket to start the second half. The undermanned Mavericks were outplaying LA, quickly extending their lead. LeBron was the only Laker to score with four points until Max joined in scoring on an and-1. Lively picked up his fourth foul, putting him in foul trouble for Dallas.

Dorian knocked down a three to make it a single-digit deficit. The Lakers had started sloppy but were picking up their defense. They were slowly closing in and after a dunk by AD, the Mavericks called a timeout with the deficit down to 71-66.

Jaden Hardy scored three straight 3-pointers for Dallas out of the timeout, stopping all the momentum Los Angeles had created. Grimes drained a three on the next possession, putting the Mavericks right back up by 15 points.

Defensive breakdowns were hurting the Lakers tremendously. The Mavericks were getting easy looks and converting on them. The purple and gold were down 13 at the end of the third.

The final frame started with Gabe Vincent missing a 3-pointer. Dalton scored on a midrange shot. Dorian knocked down a three, helping keep the Lakers alive. Dalton then drained a 3-pointer. Dallas was also scoring, making this a back-and-forth affair early. Dalton connected on another three, bringing the Lakers closer.

Dallas continued to have the answer, extending their lead back to double digits with 6:23 left. They were shooting 47% from behind the arc because the Lakers kept breaking down defensively, allowing them many open looks.

Left wide-open once more, Grimes knocked down his fifth 3-pointer of the game. With three minutes left, LA tried to mount a comeback, but they failed and waved the white flag.

Key Takeaways:

LA’s defensive breakdowns were a major factor in the short-handed Mavericks having so much life in this game. The Mavericks should not have been able to knock down so many threes and have so many open opportunities.

Jaxson needs to be more careful out there in terms of fouls. He can’t be in foul trouble every single game. This also highlights Los Angeles’ need for a center they can rely on.

They weren’t atrocious with turnovers, which was the one positive thing they could take from this disappointing loss.

The Lakers’ next game will be Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets at 7:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.