Lakers fall short in second-half rally against Mavericks.
Following one of their worst loss of the season, the Lakers had no answer for Luka Dončić and the Mavericks, falling to Dallas 109–104 to drop their 3rd straight game since the all-star break, moving their season record seven games under .500 to 27–34.
The Lakers' second-half resurgence began with an aggressive third quarter in which they held the Mavericks to just 14 points, followed by a dramatic collapse in the fourth quarter in which they scored just 17 points.
In the Lakers' 3rd straight loss, LeBron James was the Lakers leading scorer at the starting center position, scoring 26 points, on 62% (10-for-18) shooting overall, adding 12 rebounds and 5 assists in 38 minutes played.
After the game, LeBron spoke on the main focus for the Lakers being winning one basketball game and then building from there, saying: "We're just trying to figure out a way to get over the hump. Overall we played a great game, just couldn't get over the hump."
James was also asked about the boos from the Lakers' home crowd in the past couple of games, explaining: "I ride or die with the Lakers faithful. If they boo, I'm with them, if they cheer, I'm with them."
Russell Westbrook's woes from the floor continue to haunt the Lakers, shooting just 29% (5-for-17) overall from the floor, scoring 12 points on 17 shot attempts, while adding 8 assists and 6 rebounds in 38 minutes.
After tonight's loss, Westbrook was critical of his overall performance, saying: "I gotta be better overall. What I'm doing right now ain't good enough."
Westbrook's 0 turnovers were cited as a positive by head coach Frank Vogel, who also stated that they must continue to encourage him because he hasn't been finishing at the rim or putting down 3-pointers.
Carmelo Anthony and Malik Monk were the Lakers' 2nd and 3rd leading scorers in tonight’s loss, with Melo scoring 20 points on 54% (6-for-11) shooting overall and Monk scoring 17 points on 36% (5-for-14) shooting.
The Lakers' next matchup comes on Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers, who sit at 33–31 and look to take advantage of a Lakers team who have lost three straight since the all-star break. Let's hope the Lakers can get back in the win column and come out with a win against the Clippers.