In their prior two games, the Los Angeles Lakers showed very little confidence or resolve in losses to the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans.
However, on Tuesday night against the surging Dallas Mavericks, L.A. played with much more pride and passion, as it competed hard with Luka Doncic and company.
Unfortunately, it was all for naught. The Lakers came up short, 109-104, after forging a six-point lead in the fourth quarter — and letting it slip away over the final 10 minutes of play.
The Lakers’ schedule will not get any easier. The Lakers have a rematch against the Clippers on Thursday before hosting Golden State on Saturday.
Here is how each Laker player graded individually during Tuesday’s game:
Westbrook had a dismal performance on Sunday against the Pelicans, shooting 5-of-15 from the field and missing both of his 3-point attempts en route to 16 points.
His shooting woes continued on Tuesday. He shot 5-of-17 from the floor. Westbrook missed multiple layup attempts throughout and missed all four of his 3-point attempts.
After only managing one assist in each of the last two games, Westbrook notched eight against Dallas. He also committed zero turnovers, after throwing the ball away seven times on Sunday.
Stanley Johnson, one of the Lakers’ newest additions, showed a dimension on Tuesday he isn’t known for: perimeter shooting.
He hit 3-of-4 from 3-point range and 4-of-6 overall from the field, to help the Lakers rally from a 15-point halftime deficit to briefly take the lead in the second half.
Johnson continued to contribute defensively, recording a blocked shot and showing good effort on that end of the court.
Monk was a significant part of the Lakers’ rally in the third quarter. He finished with 17 points, to go along with four assists and one blocked shot.
Unfortunately, he flamed out down the stretch.
Although he shot well from downtown, making half of his 3-point attempts, Monk shot just 5-of-14 overall; he missed multiple layups in traffic.
Reaves did not play well offensively, hitting 1-of-6 from the field and missing all three of his 3-ball attempts.
However, you can always count on the undrafted rookie to sacrifice his body to go after loose balls and do his best to bother his man on the defensive end, and he did just that on Tuesday.
For most of the contest, James not only played well, but he looked very engaged and aggressive.
However, once James reentered the game with 5:44 remaining in the fourth quarter and L.A. up by one, he did not close well.
He committed two turnovers, missed three shots and was not able to contain Doncic on the defensive end.
Overall, James finished with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, 12 rebounds and five assists.
Anthony certainly did his part in helping the Lakers compete hard against Dallas. He finished with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field while making three of his six 3 attempts and all five of his free throws.
The 19-year veteran also contributed on the defensive end with three steals and one block.
Bazemore hasn’t played much since falling out of the rotation early in the season, but he got 17 minutes on Tuesday and made a definite contribution.
He made both of his 3-point attempts while adding one steal and one block. Apparently, the man can still play and be of value.
Horton-Tucker seems to be playing a little better of late since the passing of the NBA trade deadline. He had eight points on 3-of-6 shooting while playing heavy minutes on Tuesday.
He struggled from 3-point land, missing both of his attempts from long range, but he did find a way to add a pair of assists.
The veteran center has been played inconsistently this season by Lakers head coach Frank Vogel. After a couple of strong games, Howard only saw the floor for a few minutes against Dallas.
In that time, he grabbed two rebounds and scored a layup off an assist from Westbrook.
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