The Los Angeles Lakers had a rollercoaster Saturday night as Luka Doncic visited his former home to face the Dallas Mavericks. L.A. led 65-52 at the half, seeming as though they might coast to a victory against the severely short-handed Mavericks.
But Dallas stormed back with a 35-14 third quarter that gave them an eight-point lead going into the fourth. Their biggest lead, though, came in the final seven minutes, when they took a 15-point advantage over the Lakers. From there, Doncic and company tightened up on the defensive end and came all the way back to win 116-110.
Doncic finished with 33 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, leading the way in an important victory for him and the Lakers. Of course, given his history with the Mavericks, the Lakers star was asked about playing in Dallas after the shocking trade from last season and what it means to get wins there, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“It’s a special place,” Doncic said of Dallas. “I mean, I’m always going to want to win no matter what. Every game I want to win, but obviously this one’s a little bit different.”
There was plenty of Luka support in the crowd among Mavericks fans, and he gave his love to those who braved the winter storm.
“That was really special,” Doncic said. “I didn’t know what to expect before, because I know how this city gets when the weather is bad. I really appreciate a lot of people showing up.”
The Lakers needed that win to keep their place in the Western Conference standings. But games in Dallas do feel bigger than that, like the Lakers need to win to stand behind their new franchise face. They were able to get that, with Doncic leading the way, in one of their grittiest showings of the season.
JJ Redick credits defense of Luka Doncic
Doncic is quicker and more agile on the court after his offseason body transformation. However, his lack of burst — and sometimes effort — makes him a defensive liability at times. Far too often, Doncic is unable to keep his opponent in front, which then compromises the rest of Los Angeles’ defense.
Head coach JJ Redick came away impressed with how well Doncic held up defensively in the fourth quarter against the Mavericks. Redick credited the superstar for coming up with multiple stops in crunch time to help lead the Lakers to the close comeback victory.
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