Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram Star as Lakers Earn Win vs. Luka Doncic, Mavericks

The Los Angeles Lakers had been completely lost without LeBron James. On Monday night, they found their way.

Led by Brandon Ingram's season-high 29 points, the Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 107-97, moving to 2-5 without James in the lineup.

Lonzo Ball (21 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Josh Hart (14 points, 12 rebounds) pitched in strong performances as well, while Kyle Kuzma returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous two games and chipped in 13 points, though he largely struggled from the field, shooting 4-of-20.

The Lakers erased a 13-point halftime deficit in the win, outscoring the Mavericks 32-13 in the third quarter and holding Dallas to just 30 second-half points.

Luka Doncic had another strong showing for the Mavericks, meanwhile, posting 27 points and eight rebounds, though he was the only Dallas player to exceed 11 points.

A Dallas (18-22) loss at home comes as a surprise, as the team is 15-4 in its building on the year. The Mavericks have remained on the fringes of the Western Conference playoff picture largely because of a 3-18 mark on the road.

The win brought the Lakers to 22-19, meanwhile, moving them two games ahead of the Utah Jazz for the eighth spot in the West.

LeBron-less Lakers Must Continue Emphasizing Defense and Playing with Passion

The Lakers have not been a great offensive team without James in the lineup this season. Coming into Monday night, the team had an offensive rating of 107.7 with James on the court and a rating of 102.4 when he sits, per NBA.com.

The team's net rating with James (3.2) drops to -3.7 when he's off the court. And without him available over the past seven games, the team has averaged 107 points per game, compared to the 112.3 they average on the season.

But the numbers don't reflect just how much the team misses James' playmaking and ability to hit key shots in important moments. That, frankly, is impossible to replicate.

What isn't impossible for the Lakers, however, is ramping up their defensive intensity and playing with more passion across the board. The Lakers largely won on Monday evening because they did both.

"At some point, we need more passion," head coach Luke Walton said after the team's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. "We need more fight. And that's not scoring more. That's more diving for loose balls, communicating loudly, grabbing [rebounds]."

He added, "You got to play in this league with some passion and fire. It's hard to win in this league when you are healthy. So you need to double that effort when guys are down."

Especially when one of those players is a future Hall of Famer and arguably the GOAT.

Holding the Mavs to 30 second-half points was huge, as were the efforts from players like Hart and Ball:

"I didn't care about shooting. I didn't care about making shots." Hart said after the key win, per Spectrum SportsNet (h/t Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints). "...Touches, play calls, nothing like that. I can control what I can control & that was my energy, being a little junkyard dog out there & just helping this team get a win."

That's the attitude the Lakers need without James. Yes, getting a big offensive showing from Ingram was important, while the return of Kuzma should open up the offense. But the Lakers don't need James in the lineup to take their defensive responsibilities seriously. They don't need James in the lineup to push the pace in transition with Ball or to aggressively attack the basket. They don't need James to hustle for loose balls.

The Lakers remain a mediocre team without James. But the Lakers don't need to be great without him; they just need to avoid digging themselves a hole while he's gone. And the key to doing so remains an increased defensive intensity and greater overall passion, as evidenced Monday.

Clear ROY Front-Runner Luka Doncic Needs More Help

Doncic is awesome. He's running away with the Rookie of the Year award. It remains inconceivable he wasn't the top overall pick. His step-back threes have become the stuff of legend.

But Doncic can't do it all by himself, a fact that the Lakers exploited on Monday. As Dan Devine of The Ringer noted, "The Lakers are overplaying Luka all over the floor, and Dallas absolutely can't get anything going with anyone else handling the ball."

The Mavericks, as currently constructed, probably aren't a playoff team. Harrison Barnes is best-cast as a third option on a playoff team, not a second. Dennis Smith Jr. remains a work-in-progress, as does his fit next to Doncic. DeAndre Jordan is still a rebounding machine, but he doesn't offer the same level of rim protection as he did earlier in his career. Dirk Nowitzki will one day reside in the Hall of Fame, but he's clearly washed at this point.

The Mavericks need another star to pair with Doncic—or at least another top-end role player—if they are serious about making a playoff push this season. Maybe they'll wait until free agency to make a big splash since their 2019 first-round pick is lottery-protected and will go to the Atlanta Hawks if they make the postseason. That might be the smart play in the long term.

But in the short term, it's clear that Doncic needs help. The Mavericks have now lost 11 of their last 14 games, and during that span, Doncic is averaging 22.3 points and 5.7 assists per game. He's doing his part. If the front office is content to ride out the roster this season to avoid overpaying in a trade, somebody else on the Mavericks needs to step up.

Doncic is the man, but that will only take the Mavs so far.

What's Next?

The Lakers next host the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night at 10:30 p.m. ET, while the Mavericks host the Phoenix Suns that same evening at 8:30 p.m. ET.