Yet deprived of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Mavs did not tremble to beat the sad Lakers last night at the American Airlines Center. (118-97). Dallas ends its series of 5 defeats in a row while LA offers itself a damn ugly defeat.
For the stats of this big upset, it’s here
JJ Redick had undoubtedly hoped for another scenario for the Lakers’ passage to Texas. Narrowly beaten by the Rockets two days ago, the Angelinos had a golden opportunity to get back to winning ways in Dallas. No Luka Doncic, no Kyrie Irving, not even Daniel Gafford! On paper, a very easy match to get, especially when you can count on LeBron James and Anthony Davis in uniform. And yet, it was quite the opposite that happened last night, with a victory for the Mavs at the end of a top-notch collective performance.
A rain of 3-pointers buries the Lakers
Dallas showed that even without Luka or Kyrie, there were still good people to shake the string. The Texan shooters took turns throughout to make the Lakers miserable, with a very clean 18/38 from long distance. Quentin Grimes was the first to light the fuse, Klay Thompson imitated him before the break with 3 winning shots in a row. Coming back from the break, it was PJ Washington and especially Jaden Hardy who got going before Grimes came to finish a very hot evening coming off the bench with 23 points and 6/11 from afar! Bad defense from the Lakers and good shooting evening, a devilishly effective combo for the Mavs who gave themselves a horse in the middle of the match. Enough to easily win victory without shaking too much.
The Dallas collective stands together without the leaders
As we said above, the Mavs delivered a really good match last night, and it is all the more deserving since they were without their two leaders. We also don’t forget that they played yesterday, so they were back-to-back and therefore in principle less fresh than the Lakers. Nothing to do, the Texans produced a superb score, with a ball that turned well, always looking for the free player. The scoring was well distributed with five players at 13 points or more. Special mention to Quentin Grimes, 23 points, who was a welcome match coming off the bench. The second Dallas unit also pulverized that of the Lakers (50 points against 25). A really good match which will do good in the minds and above all put an end to the series of 5 defeats in a row.
A big highlight from LeBron but a very sad match for LA.
If LeBron James put on a show from the start (see below), the Lakers had a hard time upholding their favorite status last night. Unable to sink the Mavs’ C team, the Angelinos let their opponents gain confidence and then turn the momentum. Crushed under 3-point shots, unable to make two stops in a row despite JJ Redick’s repeated timeouts in the second half, the Purple and Gold gradually lost their footing, with a very dirty end to the match, particularly in attack. Such a performance against a hugely diminished and back-to-back opponent is still a real stain. Obligatory reaction from Thursday against the Hornets on the Los Angeles side.
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— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) https://twitter.com/TrashTalk_fr/status/1876831424822526011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
