Dallas Mavericks 115-138 LA Lakers: Twitter reacts as the Purple and Gold go berserk from downtown | NBA Christmas Day 2020
The LA Lakers put their campaign back on track with a commanding 138-115 win against the Dallas Mavericks. Anthony Davis and LeBron James were in business for the Purple and Gold yet again. But it was their two Sixth Man of the Yea pickups in Montrezl Harrell and Dennis Schroder who provided the extra boost with a combined 40 points.
Luka Doncic led the way for the Dallas Mavericks with 27 points and seven assists but had to work hard for his production. It was really the lights out shooting from the LA Lakers that turned the game in their favor. They shot 56% from the field and went 19-of-39 from downtown.
Distance shooting sets the tone for LA Lakers in the first half
The LA Lakers have added multiple layers to their offense this season. Anthony Davis dominated the Dallas Mavericks inside the paint, Kyle Kuzma was on point from range, while the chemistry between Harrell and Schroder was evident.
Luka Doncic found it tough to get his offense going early on. However, the Slovenian was matched up with LeBron James plenty of times on defense and surprisingly did a good job.
Thanks to 61% shooting from the field, the LA Lakers led the Dallas Mavericks 69-57 at halftime despite committing 11 turnovers.
Dallas Mavericks try staying in the game but eventually lose out
The likes of Trey Burke and Josh Richardson helped Doncic with timely buckets as the Dallas Mavericks stayed in touching distance. However, they got excessively outrebounded by the LA Lakers on both ends of the court. The Purple and Gold had 61 boards as compared to 36 for the Mavs.
In fact, the LA Lakers led 35-0 on second-chance points. The Dallas Mavericks obviously missed the services of Kristaps Porzingis, who would've helped in both these departments.
The Mavs still managed to put together a small run and reduce the deficit to 10 points to start the fourth quarter. Boban Marjanovic's introduction helped a great deal defensively.
The LA Lakers' depth shone through though and they managed to kill the game a few mnutes later. Anthony Davis continued with his offensive domination and ended the night with 28 points. Their bench combined for a whopping 60 points as well.
LeBron James didn't have to sweat too much in this game either. He played 31 minutes while managing 22 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds.
It was eventually the Schroder and Harrell show that gave LA Lakers the added zing and the two received the deserved plaudits.
Also read: NBA Rumors - LA Lakers engage in contract discussions with Dennis Schroder