The Los Angeles Lakers entered the final game of their three-game road trip to face off against the best offensive team in the league, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Mavericks showed their complete offensive arsenal, scoring a whopping 140 points.
The Mavericks shot 62.2 percent from the field, including 51.4 percent from three-point territory. They were a plus-39 from threes, as they had eight players in double figures scoring.
The Lakers hung in close in the first quarter, until the last five seconds of that quarter where they gave up a 7-0 run. The Mavericks hit two costless throws, stole the ball, hit a shot and got fouled again. Then they missed the costless throw but got the offensive rebound which resulted into a J.J. Barea buzzer beater three. Dallas ended the first quarter up by 11 and held on to that lead for the rest of the game.
As discussed in the preview of this game, J.J. Barea hurt the Lakers once again with his quickness and penetration. He broke down the Lakers defense at ease and found shooters, who drained all their good, open looks.
Still, the Lakers were within striking distance entering the half, only down by 9, but the Mavericks put in a strong third period. Monta Ellis, who had a quiet first half, exploded in the third quarter, scoring 18 of his 20 in that period, including three straight three-pointers to help the Mavericks build a 20-plus point lead.
The game went out of hand for the Lakers from that point on, as they got hammered, 140 to 106, which was their second worst loss to the Mavericks.
Kobe Bryant didn’t shoot the ball well at all. He started the game 0-for-8 and got his first field goal midway through the second quarter. He finished the game with 17 points, seven assists, and five rebounds on 6-of-22 shooting. Jordan Hill had another double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds on 7-of-7 from the field. Jeremy Lin led the Lakers in scoring with 18 points. Nick Young struggled badly, putting in just five points on 2-for-7 shooting.
For the Mavs, it was an offensive clinic. Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Chandler Parsons finished with 21 points, as Monta Ellis recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 assists. Jameer Nelson, J.J. Barea, Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder, and Al-Farouq Aminu were the other five in double figures.
The Mavericks dominated every aspect of this game. 37 of their 51 baskets were assisted on, and they out-rebounded the Lakers 39-33. Dallas’ bench scored 61 points compared to L.A.’s 36 bench points. The Mavericks also outscored the Lakers in the paint, 54-38. However, both teams were considerably clean in this game, with the Mavericks recording just nine turnovers and the Lakers with 10.
The Lakers end their short road trip with a 2-1 record, which is satisfying enough for them. They now drop to 3-10 on the season, while the Mavericks improve to 10-3.
The Lakers will head back home to host the Denver Nuggets in their next game on Sunday, November 23. The Mavericks will be back in action tomorrow, November 22, against the Houston Rockets.