For a while, it looked like a blowout. The Lakers trailed the Mavericks by 20 points and appeared generally lifeless.
But with LeBron James leading the way and scoring 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, LA battled back to tie it.
Then Kyrie Irving buried a 3-pointer for the Mavs. Then James committed a turnover. Then he missed a three that could’ve tied it at the final buzzer. Ultimately, the Mavs walked away with a 104-101 road victory on Wednesday.
“We gave ourselves a fighting chance, but it’s kind of tough when you go down that many points,” James told reporters. “I liked our defense in the last 12 minutes. We’ve just got to be better for the first 36.”
Meanwhile, Anthony Davis had 10 points and 14 rebounds — but went scoreless in the fourth quarter. It’s been that sort of year for the Lakers, who are looking for someone to step up and help make the life of James easier.
He is, after all, 38 years old.
Anyway, while the Lakers took the L, they never quit, and that too has been the early story for this year’s version.
“We had a shot to win the game,” Davis said. “We got back in it with our defense in the fourth quarter, and (we) made some big-time shots. … We don’t celebrate moral victories, but we’re a resilient team that will be fighting ’til the end.”
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