LOS ANGELES_By the final few minutes of the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers could afford to laugh at private jokes and to sit LeBron James, who pretended to playfully karate chop Lonzo Ball's head when Ball left the game to join James on the bench, too.
They had a comfortable lead, something they hadn't experienced in more than a week and a half, and something they haven't achieved often this season. They were enjoying it.
The Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks, 114-103, for their second win in as many nights, and the second of a four-game homestand.
James finished with 28 points, four assists and five rebounds. Dallas forward Harrison Barnes led all scorers with 29 points. Tyson Chandler and Kyle Kuzma both contributed double-doubles for the Lakers (13-9) _ Chandler's first since Oct. 24, when he was playing for Phoenix against the Lakers.
Whereas Thursday the Lakers squandered a big first-quarter lead before recovering to win, the Lakers on Friday found themselves in a big, early hole.
Dallas took a double-digit lead in the first quarter behind active minutes from center DeAndre Jordan. James scored only two points during that period and turned the ball over. He made one of six field-goal attempts, two of which were blocked less than a second apart by Dallas rookie Luka Doncic.
James entirely reversed his performance in the second quarter, when he scored 10 points and made all five of his shots, adding two assists and two rebounds. As the Lakers worked to undo their early deficit, they outran Dallas. In the second quarter, the Lakers scored 15 fast-break points and the Mavericks scored none.
"We found the energy starting in the second quarter and we did a nice job of carrying that on," coach Luke Walton said. "It was ugly in the first quarter."
At halftime, the Lakers trailed by five. They kept it close in the third quarter.
Then, with his fifth steal of the night, Ball completed the Lakers' comeback with 8:21 remaining in the third quarter.
He poked the ball away from Barnes and then, moments later, secured a fast-break dunk that gave the Lakers their first lead since the first quarter.
"When you come straight to the NBA when you're young, one year in college, defense is normally the last thing you do when you're a high draft pick," Walton said of Ball's effort. "We saw his defensive instincts; he was way more advanced than we thought he would be on that side of the floor."
But it wouldn't be that easy. The Mavericks countered with a 7-0 run for a lead that the Lakers chipped away at methodically. During the next five minutes, Kuzma made three three-pointers and hit two free throws to help the Lakers take back the lead. After three quarters, the Lakers 78-75.
All of a sudden, their three-point attempts began to fall. Whereas the Lakers made only one of 11 threes in the first half, they made eight of 19 in the second half. A three by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gave the Lakers a 95-86 lead with 7:33 left in the game, and elicited a Dallas timeout.
It was Caldwell-Pope's first make in five tries and gave the Lakers a comfortable lead they never relinquished. James hit a three with 2:36 left that put the Lakers up 111-93. He left the game immediately after, a win well in hand.
