DALLAS _ As their 15-point lead unraveled against the LeBron James-less Lakers, the Mavericks looked to stabilize themselves with two reliable 2018-19 season intangibles Monday night.
Luka Doncic and American Airlines Center.
When Dallas' poor ball movement and turnover barrage continued, and its lead evaporated into a double-digit deficit, Doncic tried to rally the Mavericks, but the damage was unfixable.
The Lakers' 107-97 victory dropped the Mavericks' home record to 15-4. Returning from a stretch of 10 road games in 13 outings (going 1-9 on the road during that stretch), Dallas figured to find relief at home.
But when you have only 12 assists on 36 made field goals, it adds up to a bad night offensively.
"I think I led the team in assists with 3," J.J. Barea said of Mavs' paltry 12-assist night. "You can't win like that."
And the 19 turnovers led to 21 Lakers points.
"There's a tendency for it to "stick" with us," Carlisle said of the lack of ball movement. "We've got to get away from that."
And that includes, Carlise said, the possibility of changing the starting lineup.
"That group has had struggles," Carlisle said. "So I'm looking closely at that right now."
The Mavericks led 67-54 at halftime but were outscored 32-13 in the third quarter to fall behind, 86-80, in no small part due to five Dallas turnovers during the period.
James' left groin strain robbed fans of likely the last regular-season matchup between No. 5 scorer in NBA history James and No. 7 Dirk Nowitzki.
The Lakers entered the game with three straight losses, including a 22-point Sunday defeat at Minnesota, but Carlisle predicted that L.A.'s younger players would be motivated to prove they could win without James.
They did. Brandon Ingram scored 29 points and Lonzo Ball added 21 points, 7 rebounds and five assists.
Doncic was Dallas' high scorer with 27 points, but he shot 10 of 23 from the field.
In two previous games against the Lakers, both of them losses, Doncic averaged only 10 points on 29.2-percent shooting, to go along with averages of six assists and 5.5 rebounds.
Perhaps he was slightly star-struck in those games by the presence of James, whose jersey he requested following the first meeting in Los Angeles.
More likely, Lakers coach Luke Walton said, he was affected by the longer-limbed players Los Angeles threw at him _ particularly 6-9 forwards Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.
"He's really good and it's never one man's job," Walton said of slowing Doncic. "He's having a heck of rookie season."
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle pointed out, and predicted: "Luka, even though he's very young, he's had a lot of experiences in his career of getting to second and third games versus opponents over in Europe, and now here. He'll make the adjustments."
Doncic adjusted Monday by repeatedly getting into the lane and either pulling up for short jumpers, but after feeding teammates for two alley-oops in the first half, Doncic had zero second-half assists.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks' healthy halftime lead quickly unraveled with the slew of turnovers.
In James' absence, AAC fans were more than adequately entertained in the first half, mostly by the Mavericks and the courtside atmosphere _ which was heightened by the presence of at least eight Dallas Cowboys, including Ezekiel Elliott, DeMarcus Lawrence and Jaylon Smith.
During the first half alone, fans saw a tip-in by 5-foot-8, J.J. Barea, albeit from about two feet below the rim. And fans fortunate enough to be sitting near the scoring table got to hear incredulous Nowitzki's old-school complaint to referee Michael Smith.
"Are you serious? Michael, that's not even a foul in '98."
.png?w=600)
