Lakers Finish NBA Cup Group Play Perfect with 129-119 Win Over Mavericks
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The Los Angeles Lakers remained unbeaten in Emirates NBA Cup play on Friday, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 129-119 at Crypto.com Arena to close out West Group B with a 4-0 record.
The victory lifted Los Angeles to 14-4 overall and secured home-court advantage for the upcoming tournament quarterfinals.
Fast start sets early tone
Austin Reaves opened the night with a three-pointer, and Luka Doncic—facing Dallas for the first time since joining the Lakers—found LeBron James for an alley-oop as the hosts raced to a 10-7 lead, prompting a Mavericks timeout.
Former Laker Max Christie kept Dallas close by sinking two shots from beyond the arc, but Los Angeles closed the first quarter ahead 28-22 despite Doncic drawing two fouls and a technical while scoring 10 points.
Mavericks surge before halftime
With Doncic resting early in the second period, James and Reaves took turns directing the Lakers’ offense. Klay Thompson answered for Dallas with consecutive threes, and a P.J. Washington dunk trimmed the gap to one, forcing a Los Angeles timeout. Several late turnovers allowed the Mavericks to move in front, and the Lakers trailed 62-60 at intermission, with Reaves shouldering most of their scoring load.
Third-quarter response
James sparked the hosts after the break with back-to-back buckets, and Rui Hachimura drilled two three-pointers to cap an 11-2 run. Reaves remained hot, but Dallas matched from distance to keep the margin tight. Doncic set up James for a transition layup in the final seconds, yet a last-second Mavericks basket trimmed the Lakers’ lead to 98-94 entering the fourth.
Closing it out
Dallas briefly reclaimed the lead behind continued outside shooting, but Los Angeles answered with another crafty Reaves finish and a Hachimura three. Once the advantage reached double digits, the Lakers maintained control to the final horn.
What’s next
Los Angeles continues its homestand Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans before hosting the Phoenix Suns on Monday in the second half of a back-to-back.
Source: Lakers Nation
