No Luka, no Kyrie, no Gafford? No PROBLEM! Even without their best players, the Dallas Mavericks still handed the Los Angeles Lakers another devastating loss this season. The undermanned Mavs put on an excellent team effort and completely destroyed the James-Davis-Reaves trio.
Sheer Will or Tough Luck?
It is an embarrassing night for Lakers fans after seeing their team struggle and then get blown out by Dallas. Although LeBron had another double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds on top of dishing 8 assists, Davis and Reaves were both having terrible shooting nights.
AD was 7-for-18 from the field while Reaves only made 5 of his 14 attempts. Moreover, as a trio, they only shot 18-43.
AD was unstoppable in the first quarter after dominating a Mavericks team who had no answer for him down low. However, his hands suddenly got called and proceeded to miss a lot of shots in the paint. Dereck Lively II was the only guy seemingly capable of at least making Davis change his shots, but even the young center won’t be able to stop a prime AD. Unfortunately, he did not need any stopping at the time. Was it because of their post defense or was it just pure luck? Probably both.
Nevertheless, even their own fans are furious about their latest performance. The great Charles Barkley also slammed the Lakers, stating they “stink” because of the way they played against a Luka and Kyrie-less Mavericks.
Mavericks Players Stepping Up
At last! Everybody steps up. Since losing Luka and then Kyrie due to injuries, Dallas have been 0-5 and have lost in double-digit deficits.
One of the main reasons behind their victory against the Lakers is because of the combined scoring effort of Quentin Grimes, PJ Washington, Spencer Dinwiddie, Klay Thompson, and Jaden Hardy.
Grimes came off-the-bench and ignited for a season-high 23 points on top of 6 assists and 9 rebounds. Washington led the charge as a starter and finished with 22 points. It’s clear how deep Dallas’ roster is with Grimes able to answer the call when needed, Washington putting up great numbers, Dinwiddie doing a lot of dirty work (though he’s sometimes inconsistent), and Klay still doing what he does best: Shoot the three-ball.
Overall, it’s a satisfying relief for Mavs fans after they finally snap their five-game losing streak despite not having their superstar duo. On the other hand, the Lakers have to figure things out after a series of terrible outings. Perhaps, a Jimmy Butler trade will solve it? We’ll see.
