Luka vs LeBron: Mavs pull off a win after Lakers comeback
Luka Doncic had a career highlight of a slam dunk in the game vs the Lakers on Tuesday, helping lead the Mavs to their fourth win of a five-game road trip.
The Dallas Mavericks seemed to have the game in the bag at the half, leading the Los Angeles Lakers by 15 points at the end of the second quarter on Tuesday.
In the first quarter, Luka Doncic had already accounted for 12 points and had an impressive season highlight to add to the reel. On a missed shot by Spencer Dinwiddie in the corner, Luka leapt up for the putback slam dunk right over Dwight Howard. At the end of the first, he had 12 points total and at the end of the half, 15. Jalen Brunson accounted for another 15 and the Mavs were up with a comfortable lead, 71-56.
LeBron James, however, had other plans. In the third quarter, the Lakers held the Mavs to just 14 points. The Lakers shot eight consecutive points and LeBron hit three back-to-back three-pointers to tie up the game. Suddenly, it was Dallas who needed to make the comeback.
Have no fear, Luka is here
The Mavericks, down by two to start the fourth quarter, finally came back to life with 12 minutes left to go. It was Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith who helped take the Mavs back up to a safe spot again and the Dallas defense held the Lakers to just 17 points in the fourth. Doncic stole the show in the final four minutes, hitting some incredible shots and getting the Mavs seven points to take the lead and the 109-104 victory over the Lakers.
Luka didn't have his best game by any means, finishing with 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, and two blocks. He made just nine of 21 field goal attempts, missed all five three-point attempts, and had six turnovers. But he made the big plays and he made the shots when it mattered.
Lakers continue to fall
It wasn't such a good day for the Lakers, who really haven't had a good day in a while. After an ugly loss to the Pelicans on Sunday, the LeBron and the Lakers were booed at their own home stadium. Now, the loss to the Mavericks makes LA's 10th loss over the last 13 games as they continue to fall in the West. They have another tough game coming up when they face the LA Clippers at home on Thursday.
Mavs vs Warriors Thursday
The Mavericks had an incredible comeback win over Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on Sunday, overcoming a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The two teams face each other again on Thursday in Dallas.