Mavericks vs. Lakers: 3 Takeaways After LA Falls Short vs. Dallas

(Photo : Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - LeBron James (#23) of the Los Angeles Lakers scores a basket against Dereck Lively II (#2) of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at Crypto.com Arena on November 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

The Dallas Mavericks survived a LeBron James-led comeback in the fourth quarter to escape with a 104-101 win at the Crytpo.com Arena on Wednesday, November 22.

The Lakers clawed their way back into the game after trailing the Jazz for most of the game. James and Austin Reaves joined hands to claw back into the contest, but a last-second error by the four-time NBA champion snuffed any chance of completing their almost-epic comeback, SI.com reported.

Luka Doncic led the way for the Mavericks, the reason behind the team building a big lead heading into the fourth. He finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds but was checked in the contest's final minutes.

For the Lakers, James finished with 26 points and 9 boards. However, Austin Reaves played a vital role in the comeback. He finished with 17 points, six rebounds, and six assists as he and James joined hands to get back in the game.

The rally ended after James made a risky pass to Anthony Davis, who was being covered well with 3.2 seconds left. The Mavs were leading by only a point at this juncture, 102-101.

Here are some takeaways from the Mavericks vs. Lakers game:

Austin Reaves, LeBron James' efforts fall short

Austin Reaves willed his way to continue playing despite the Mavericks leading in double digits. His efforts were enough until LeBron James joined the act later, per LA Times.

Both joined hands and were able to wrest the lead for the purple and gold. But in the end, one costly pass by James ended the almost-impressive comeback, snapping their three-game winning run.

Where was Davis and the others?

Support for James has always been a question, and this told heavily on Los Angeles. Davis managed only 10 points but hauled down 13 rebounds.

D'Angelo Russell and Taurean Prince chipped in 15 and 14 points, respectively. The rest were felt for a certain stretch but were nowhere in sight when the Lakers made a run. James could be singled out as the goat for this game, but with no bench support, it is normal to see the four-time NBA MVP run out of steam.

Mavericks' defense remains the same

Jason Kidd knows that their defense needs work, and hardly any improvement was seen against the Lakers. Dallas won the game because of their offense, particularly their three-point shooting.

Dallas went 16 of 50 from beyond the arc for a 32% shooting clip and made five more than the Lakers, who were 11 of 29 from the three-point region.

But the big three-pointer of the night was perhaps that one by Kyrie Irving, the shot that he made in the final minute, his fourth for the game, the Associated Press reported.

The Lakers will try to bounce back on Saturday, November 25, when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Mavericks will try to get a streak going when they face a rejuvenated Los Angeles Clippers quintet also on Saturday.