The Lakers celebrated the championship, having accomplished their early-season objective in Las Vegas last weekend.
The Lakers’ turnaround was sparked by the in-season tournament, which demonstrated that they were capable of dominating marquee contests and possessed the kind of elite defensive capabilities that lend credence to their primary championship aspirations.
Having concluded that ordeal with a future banner in the rafters and a cash infusion into their bank accounts, the Lakers are now compelled to return to their routine basketball activities.
Therefore, Tuesday’s contest against the Dallas Mavericks was inevitably going to feel a little bit like “Now what?”
The Lakers fought back from an early deficit in which their defensive intensity fell short of required levels to defeat the Mavericks 127-125 to begin a three-game stretch in Texas.
On the second night of a consecutive set of games without essential reserves Josh Green and Kyrie Irving and Derrick Jones Jr. as well as Irving, Dallas completely passed the ball to Luka Doncic. Furthermore, Tim Hardaway Jr. provided Doncic with a partner who was more than willing to fill in the blanks and capitalize on those open opportunities.
Dante Exum and Hardaway each contributed 26, while Doncic contributed 33 and an absurd 17 assists.
In the Lakers’ defeat, Anthony Davis led the team with 37 points, while LeBron James scored 33 and Austin Reaves added 22.
