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The Lakers avenged their loss to the Mavericks in a Friday night beat down at Staples Center 124-120. The Mavs got absolutely harassed in the paint and in the rebounding battle. Lonzo Ball finally returned to action for the Lakers and everybody got involved for the Lakers on offense and defense. They got an excellent jump to the final stretch of the season.
Luke didn't start Lonzo in an effort to regulate his minutes. They started off the game going through Brook Lopez who was being guarded by Dirk Nowitzki. They took advantage of Dirk's declining defense and tacked two fouls on him in the first minute and a half. The Mavs looked like they just woke up from an All-Star break nap as they fell behind 5-18 against the energized Lakeshow. At 6 minutes in, Luke Walton checked in Lonzo Ball and Isaiah Thomas at the same time, as if making the statement, "Just watch me, I'm gonna make this work". Fast forward five seconds and Lonzo Ball nails a three-pointer with his funky shot, immediately prompting Dallas to take another timeout with the score at 23-5. The Lakers kept up the beat down and left the score at 32-15 at the end of the first. They played some decent defense for once, particularly in the paint.
The Mavs went on a 9-0 run in 45 seconds at the top of the second quarter, causing Luke to take a timeout to regroup. Out of the timeout, Lonzo tried to take control of the game, and to the surprise of many, he actually hit a couple more three-pointers! The Mavs kept going under screens daring him to chuck it from deep, and he made them pay. After that, both teams kept throwing it up from beyond the arc but no one was hitting. Once the Lakers started going back into the paint they prospered a little more. They're actually the top team in the league for points in the paint. Julius started posting up at one point and threw a nice lob to a cutting Brandon Ingram for an alley-oop. As the first half was winding down the Lakers started pushing the pace and picking up buckets in transition. Julius Randle was the main man leading the breaks. They walked into the locker room with a comfortable 63-41 lead after the buzzer.
The Lakers defense came out lackluster and Dallas surged on offense to start the third quarter. LA responded by lengthening the lead back to 20 off a couple three's. The Mavs kept trying to claw back in but the Lakers kept them at an arm's length. The pace of the game stayed high, and the Lakers continued to thrive on transition buckets and points in the paint. Julius Randle kept getting whatever he wanted. Lonzo and IT came into the game at the same time again and traded off bringing the ball up the floor. His game didn't really overlap Lonzo's at all, they looked alright on the floor together. Thomas hit a buzzer beater at the end of the third to keep the large lead at 95-76.
The Mavs started the fourth on a little run and narrowed it to a 13 point lead. It didn't mean anything though as the Lakers jumped ahead again off some excellent offensive chemistry and defensive stops. Julius Randle continued his domination in the fourth quarter, notching a triple-double with about 5 minutes left to go. The Lakers sent in their third string as they closed the refrigerator door on this game 124-102.
Julius Randle finished his excellent effort with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Luke remarked after the game that he's getting much better letting the game slow down for him, allowing him to attack with precision. Lonzo had a solid game back with 9 points, 5 assists and 6 rebounds in 17 minutes. Seven Laker players finished in double figures and they vigorously dominated the Mavs on the glass (61-29 Lakers) and in the paint (62-26 Lakers). The Lakers will not hit the road for a 4 game road trip. Their first game is on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings at 7:00 PM PST / 10:00 PM EST.
good post I really like watching basketball.
I like basketball, very good post sport
Yay a crap team beating another crap team, real exciting!!!