After going 14-1 in the month of November and coming into Sunday’s game with a 10-game win-streak, the Los Angeles Lakers were given a cruel welcome to what will be a much tougher December schedule as Luka Doncic exploded in the second half to snap the Lakers win-streak on Sunday afternoon, 114-100.
LeBron James had 25 points, eight assists and nine rebounds while Anthony Davis had 27 points but the Lakers duo got little help with Alex Caruso the only player scoring in double-figures (10 points).
After a quiet first half with just six points, Doncic scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half to go with 10 assists and nine rebounds while the Mavericks dwarfed the Lakers output from the 3-point line. Dallas was 17 for 49 from the 3-point line while the Lakers were just seven for 27, outscoring them by 30 points form the outside.
For whatever reason, the Lakers didn’t begin the second half blitzing Doncic to force the ball from his hands as they did to begin the game and he exposed them. The Mavericks also had four other players in addition to Doncic who made multiple 3-pointer on the night, providing the firepower to give the Lakers only their third loss of the season.
And as will be a theme for the month of December, it’s not going to get any easier from here. L.A. is now headed out on three-game trip starting against a tough Denver Nuggets squad that will kick off a stretch of the Lakers playing eight of their next nine games away from Staples Center. To survive, they can’t make performances like Sunday’s the norm.
