LeBron James, Lakers Beat Luka Doncic, Mavericks; Lonzo Ball Scores 10
The Los Angeles Lakers ended November on a high note and defeated the Dallas Mavericks 114-103 at Staples Center on Friday night.
The win pushed the Lakers, who have won two in a row and five of their last seven overall, to 13-9 on the season. Dallas, meanwhile, had its three-game winning streak snapped.
LeBron James led the way with 28 points (12-of-21 shooting), four assists and five rebounds, while Brandon Ingram added 19 points. Lonzo Ball chipped in 10 points, five steals and four dimes.
Harrison Barnes did the heavy lifting for Dallas to the tune of 29 points. However, rookie sensation Luka Doncic was silenced with six points on 2-of-13 shooting.
Lakers' Electric Transition Offense Masking Major Turnover Problem
Dating back to training camp, the Lakers have lived by a simple edict: Run, and run often.
This season, they've done just that.
Entering Friday night, L.A. ranked second in fast-break scoring (20.0 points per game) and fast-break efficiency, according to TeamRankings.com.
Against the Mavericks, they didn't let up.
The Lakers thrived in transition to the tune of 31 fast-break points—including 20 in a first half filled with pinballed passes that were parlayed into power-packed finishes:
Those relentless waves of end-to-end action made for an aesthetically pleasing Showtime Lite experience, to be sure.
However, they also overshadowed the Lakers' continued inability to take care of the ball whenever they were forced to run more structured half-court sets.
To wit: After entering the evening ranked tied for 24th with 15.5 turnovers per game, the Lakers coughed up the rock 17 times to help keep a Mavericks team that shot just 39.5 percent from the field well within striking distance until they pulled away down the stretch.
As the numbers suggest, this isn't a new issue. In fact, head coach Luke Walton said as recently as Sunday that turnovers were "killing" his team.
But if the Lakers can correct those woes, an offense that ranks 19th in efficiency could vault into a far more respectable tier.
What's Next?
The Lakers will be back on their home court Sunday afternoon for a showdown with the Phoenix Suns. The Mavericks will also be home Sunday for a tilt with the Los Angeles Clippers.
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