LOS ANGELES _ It had been nearly four full weeks since Brandon Ingram played in a real game and he was eager for every opportunity he had Wednesday night.
That was to his detriment, he felt.
"I'll try not to have another one like that," Ingram said.
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Mavericks, 103-93, in their first game at home since March 16. The Lakers improved to 33-41 while the Mavericks, who finished the game with a lineup that didn't include a single player who was drafted, fell to 23-52.
The Lakers have eight games left this season, seven of them at Staples Center.
Ingram scored 13 points with seven rebounds, four assists and a steal in his first game since March 1, when he suffered a groin strain against the Miami Heat.
Brook Lopez led all scorers with 22 points. Julius Randle (20) and Kyle Kuzma (18) also reached double figures for the Lakers.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 13 points in what could be the 39-year-old's final game at Staples Center.
For Ingram, the return was just the next step in a gradual process. It started with his playing two-on-two on Sunday in Detroit. Then he played three-on-three Tuesday in Los Angeles.
He was on a minutes restriction Wednesday night and played 23 minutes.
"I feel good physically," Ingram said. "I think I was throwing temper tantrums every time I came out of the game for my minutes restriction."
Said Walton: "He looked really good. It was nice having him back out there. I thought his timing was a little off in the first half, but I thought the second half was good."
