The Los Angeles Lakers’ winning streak came to a halt with a 118-97 loss to the undermanned Dallas Mavericks. The defeat dropped L.A. to 0-2 on its Texas trip, starting with a loss in Houston.
LeBron James acknowledged that the team’s performance was disappointing, especially considering their recent success. The Lakers started the trip as the fourth-ranked team in the West but lost to the Rockets after being outscored by 22 points in the first half.
In Dallas, the Mavericks’ offense targeted Austin Reaves in isolation situations, which led to a 63-47 scoring advantage in the second half. James credited Mavs coach Jason Kidd’s game plan for his team’s success against their defense.
Reaves took responsibility for his poor performance, saying he was “bad on both sides of the ball” and couldn’t allow it to happen again. Anthony Davis struggled as well, missing several shots at the rim that allowed the Mavericks to outscore 52-40 in the paint.
Coach JJ Redick pointed to the missed bunnies and lack of vocal defense from his players, which allowed Reaves and others to be targeted in pick-and-rolls. The team will look to bounce back with their next eight games, starting with the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43329778/lakers-momentum-stalls-118-97-loss-mavericks