Led by a triple-double from superstar Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks protected their home court Tuesday night by blowing out the Los Angeles Lakers.
Doncic recorded his 21st career 30-point triple-double, with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in the victory. Reggie Bullock continued to provide an offensive spark by hitting five three-pointers and finished the night with 17 points.
The Mavs were rolling from the start and coach Jason Kidd credited his team for staying focused in spite of Los Angeles missing key players, as they were able to defeat the Lakers 128-110 to win their second straight game at American Airlines Center.
“I thought the guys were focused, understanding who was playing for them and who wasn’t,” Coach Kidd said. “I thought the guys took care of business, they respected the Lakers. We executed the game plan and got a good win.”
Luka was dangerous from the start of the game, creating the first 13 points of the game. When he wasn’t finishing at the rim, he was using his vision and passing in the pick and roll to get Dwight Powell two alley oop dunks. Doncic then finished the run by hitting a three-pointer from long distance to put Dallas ahead 13-4.
The Mavs kept extending their lead by moving the ball and finding open the open man for three-pointers. In the final minutes of the first, Doncic continued facilitating by finding Bullock for triples on back-to-back possessions. With just over 30 seconds left, Bullock paid it forward when he found Josh Green for the team’s seventh three-pointer of the quarter. Doncic’s 17-point first quarter gave Dallas a 43-25 lead after one.
The Mavs bench carried the momentum in the second quarter. After a couple of early baskets from Green and Jalen Brunson, Davis Bertans went on a scoring spree. He nailed a 25-foot three-pointer and hit a couple of free throws. Brunson followed it with a successful trip to the charity stripe and seconds later found Bertans for another three-pointer. The next Mavs possession, Bertans stayed hot and hit another three to bring his quarter total to 11 points.
Spencer Dinwiddie had seven points in the second frame including a three-pointer to grow Dallas’ lead to 30, 63-33. The Mavs bench scored 22-of-39 points in the quarter, with the team tying a franchise record of 12 three-pointers in the first half. Dallas went into half with an 82-56 lead, marking a season high for first half points.
Los Angeles came out of halftime with more energy, but were not able to cut into their deficit since the Mavs kept answering. Dallas started the third quarter with a 17-6 run and Doncic capped off the run by smoothly dribbling up the court and without hesitation knocked down a 27-foot three pointer which put the Mavs up 37, their largest lead of the game.
Halfway through the third, the Lakers made three consecutive three-pointers, but Dallas regrouped defensively to shut down their mini run. The end of the quarter saw the two teams exchanging baskets which allowed the Mavs to enter the final frame with a 113-84 lead.
Dallas’ massive lead heading into the final quarter allowed Coach Kidd to rest his starters and Doncic among others was an observer for the final 12 minutes. The Mavs allowed everyone to get playing time and despite being outscored 26-15 in the quarter Dallas still beat the Lakers 128-110 to secure their 47th win of the season. After the game, Coach Kidd discussed the advantage of having home court during the playoffs and how the Mavs are comfortable and playing their best basketball at American Airline Center.
“To be able to protect home during the playoffs, we have been in that position before and understand that helps you to achieve your goal and that’s to win a championship.”