The Los Angeles Lakers have just lost the ability to win games. They can’t get a win if their lives depended on it. Despite having one of their better performances this season, which is not saying a lot, they could not get over Luka Doncic and the Mavericks. The Mavericks lost the lead they created in the first half and were down entering the 4th quarter. But they rallied back and won the game 109-104.
The Lakers showed some great energy in the second half and came back from being down by 15 points after the 1st half to go up as much as 7 points. They played great defensively as well and restricted the Mavericks to 14 points in the 3rd quarter. But it wasn’t enough to stop the Mavericks. With some bad turnovers at the end, the Lakers soon lost their lead and lost the game.
The Lakers and Mavericks both had 5 players with double-digit scoring. For the Lakers, it was LeBron James (26 points), Russell Westbrook ( 12 points and 8 assists), Malik Monk (17 points), Stanley Johnson (11 points), and Carmelo Anthony (20 points). For the Mavericks it was Luka (25 points and 8 rebounds), Dorian Finney-Smith (16 points and 9 rebounds), Dwight Powell (13 points and 7 rebounds), Jalen Brunson (22 points), and Spencer Dinwiddie ( 14 points and 9 assists).
The Mavericks are 21-7 since Christmas and have been on a role. Luka has been playing at an MVP level and the players have come together as a team. Major props have to be given to Head Coach Jason Kidd who has established a great culture there. The Mavericks are going to be a team that will pose a serious problem to the top teams. They will have to play their best ball to beat them or risk losing.
The Lakers just can’t win anymore. They are the 9 seed in the Western Conference and have the Pelicans and Trail Blazers right on their heels, just 2.5 games behind them. The Lakers show bursts of energy but it looks like age has become an issue for them. They are unable to maintain that level of play throughout the game. The only way they can solve it is to look at themselves in a mirror and be accountable.
