Shorthanded Lakers Drop 134-128 Decision to Mavericks in Dallas
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The Los Angeles Lakers, already without injured guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for the rest of the regular season, fell to the Dallas Mavericks 134-128 on Sunday night at American Airlines Center.
First quarter – LeBron James and Rui Hachimura combined for the Lakers’ first seven points, but rookie forward Cooper Flagg answered with seven of his own as Dallas opened a 14-7 advantage. Los Angeles briefly moved in front after baskets from James, Hachimura and Deandre Ayton, plus a three-pointer by Jarred Vanderbilt. Flagg remained unstoppable, finishing the period with 19 points and sending the Mavericks to a 41-30 lead.
Second quarter – Dallas pushed the margin to 22 behind hot shooting from Klay Thompson and another Flagg jumper. James halted the surge with back-to-back dunks that ignited a 10-2 run, then buried a three after a timeout. A late burst featuring a Luke Kennard triple and a James three-point play cut the deficit to 67-61 at halftime.
Third quarter – Kennard recorded the first triple-double of his career, but L.A. turnovers fueled Maverick fast breaks and restored a double-digit cushion. Open three-pointers by Thompson, Flagg and P.J. Washington widened the gap before a James-to-Jaxson Hayes three-point play trimmed it to 10. Dallas entered the fourth ahead 107-97.
Fourth quarter – Jake LaRavia’s defense on Flagg and a transition dunk pulled the Lakers within five, yet additional turnovers and missed box-outs prevented a full comeback. Once the Mavericks rebuilt a double-figure lead, they maintained control to the horn.
Up next – Los Angeles has four regular-season games remaining, starting Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena against the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder. Three of those contests will be at home.
Source: LakersNation.com
